ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Some Maryland families hit hard by the novel coronavirus are breathing a sigh of relief since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new moratorium on evictions until year's end.

But the new order has important terms renters need to be aware of. Attorney Matt Hill at the Public Justice Center in Baltimore said to qualify, renters need to make less than $99,000 a year, and meet several other requirements.

They must prove they've lost income due to the pandemic, that they've applied for government assistance to pay rent, and that they could become homeless if kicked out.

He noted that savvy landlords could dispute small details.

"It's going to help millions of tenants, and it's incredibly important," said Hill. "But it does require tenants to be vigilant, and to take action. Because if the landlord is trying to use some sort of loophole or make some sort of argument, they are going to need to respond."

Almost 300,000 households unable to pay rent are at risk of eviction in Maryland, according to one estimate.

For assistance in qualifying, contact the Fair Housing Action Center of Maryland.

While Hill said he thinks the moratorium is a critical first step to protect families, he's also urging lawmakers to take more permanent steps to relieve economic hardships created by the pandemic.

As Hill put it, "If this order is not paired with rent relief -- rental assistance, canceling the rent, something that addresses the long term structural problem of the lack of income related to COVID-19 -- then we are going to be just kicking the can down the road."

People who violate the terms of the eviction moratorium face harsh penalties, including up to a $100,000 fine and a year in jail. And if a tenant lies about any of the five requirements, they could be charged with perjury, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.


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Some North Dakota groups are renewing calls for the state to be more efficient in dispersing emergency pandemic rental aid. They say improvements have been made, but warn people who still need it are going without.

Last fall, North Dakota launched the online component of its Rent Help initiative, which distributes federal assistance for households facing eviction.

Sue Shirek, board chair of the North Dakota Coalition for Homeless People, said they are still hearing stories about payment delays, in some cases, prompting eviction proceedings. She acknowledged the state has acted on some concerns but thinks it should no longer be a problem.

"This is money that gets put directly in the hands of the landlord, or the utility company," Shirek pointed out. "This should be a program that benefits our state and keeps people housed. And it's just not working the way it should."

She emphasized their feedback is coming from application counselors. The state human services department said it is aware of the lingering frustration and continues to eye system upgrades. It noted the average wait times for calls to the program's contact center are much shorter. So far, North Dakota has distributed more than $42 million in rental aid.

Katie Jo Armbrust, board chair of North Dakota Continuum of Care, said with an undertaking like this, glitches are expected. But she stressed local partners wish there had been more planning to better use their intake systems as the state prepared the online portal with its vendor.

"The system and the infrastructure are certainly there," Armbrust asserted. "I think on our end, there was a little frustration or disappointment that there wasn't a better coordination with the coordinated entry system."

The groups suggest the problems almost defeat the purpose of emergency relief.

Jessica Thomasson, executive policy director for the North Dakota Department of Human Services, contended the system is especially helpful in counties with fewer resources, and countered the state isn't tuning out the feedback.

"We try to learn what we hear from the contact center," Thomasson emphasized. "We try to learn from our community partners if there's confusion."

Thomasson said other improvements include simplifying the email updates for applicants, as well as "how to" videos. After a slow rollout, data show rental-aid distribution has ticked up in recent months.

Higher mortgage rates and skyrocketing rents have fueled the nation's housing crisis. In states like Iowa, rural communities deal with the same market issues, but they point to existing efforts as a blueprint to increase access.

In the past decade, housing growth in rural areas was roughly 3%, which is far below suburban areas.

Alissa O'Connor, director of the Humboldt County Development Association, said over the years, they have established programs to help smaller towns in their area counteract housing shortages.

"We do have a very successful building trades program," O'Connor pointed out. "We utilize the high school students to construct new, or renovate existing, homes."

She noted they have purchased land to spur development in subdivisions. But groups tracking the efforts say not all areas have equal resources, and detailed planning is needed to see what fits. Rising construction costs are seen as another barrier to building more homes in rural settings.

Johnathan Hladik, policy director at the Center for Rural Affairs, said small communities also may not have as many contractors available for new development. But in his view, it should not stop local leaders from being proactive. He noted the remote-work movement is adding to competition for residents.

"This is the moment where people are interested in living in a rural area, and a community needs to do what it can to attract them," Hladik explained. "You need to have housing stock, and you need to have a good broadband. And if you combine that with good schools and a good quality of life, you're going to be in a really good spot."

There are existing government programs towns can use to help increase housing stock and attract developers.

Sara Barron, executive director of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, said a lot of federal assistance often goes to large cities, leaving a local funding gap.

"Some of that can be funded by local and county governments," Barron acknowledged. "But especially for rural, smaller communities, it really requires that state investment."

As Tennesseans struggle with skyrocketing living costs, a bill making it a felony to camp on local public property is slated to go into effect July 1.

The soon-to-be law was greenlighted by lawmakers without Gov. Bill Lee's signature. Critics say the measure is aimed at punishing the state's homeless population, while supporters point to the need to maintain and keep safe parks and other public spaces.

Rasheedah Phillips, director of housing for PolicyLink, explained in a recent webinar hosted by ProPublica, the trend of investment companies known as private equity firms buying up large apartment complexes is, in part, driving the nation's housing crisis.

"Particularly if you have low-income and working-class folks who live in those buildings," Phillips pointed out. "You start to see displacement pressures, evictions, and so that leads to deeper poverty, homelessness."

According to federal data from 2020, more than 7,000 Tennessee residents experience homelessness on any given day, and according to the U.S. Department of Education, pre-pandemic data showed statewide nearly 19,000 students experienced homelessness over the course of the year.

Caitlin Sugrue Walter, vice president of research for the National Multifamily Housing Council, said a tight housing market has pushed many people who previously would have chosen to buy a home into renting.

"And so that's kind of how we've had this problem evolve," Sugrue Walter observed. "We have high-income individuals who want to rent. And there's not enough building going on at a variety of levels. And so that's how we get to this point where a lot of the housing costs are increasing substantially."

According to a Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of Americans said the availability of affordable housing in their local community is a major problem, up from 2018.