Governor Andy Beshear’s latest executive order says no evictions for the duration of the State of Emergency!! Good move! But we need more to protect tenants. An eviction suspension merely postpones mass evictions until the State of Emergency ends. The executive order explicitly says folks are still obligated to pay rent. But folks still aren’t getting income!
We need an executive order stating that no one will ever be evicted, neither now nor after the State of Emergency ends, due to non-payment that occurred during the State of Emergency. We must require landlords to accept partial payment, payment plans, and grant payment forgiveness to residents unable to pay during the State of Emergency, and require landlords to never retaliate against residents for non-payment during the State of Emergency. That is part of the third demand of our petition, which you can read here.
We also need a universal ban on utility shut-offs. The Public Service Commission’s instructions to not shut off utilities do not apply to everyone—some utilities are not regulated by the PSC! Likewise for foreclosures: not all homes are backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac—especially homes with subprime mortgages. We need a universal ban on foreclosures during the State of Emergency.
Lexington Housing Justice Collective 