>> THANK YOU.
THE CITY'S PROVIDING A ROUND OF
RENT AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE TO
CHICAGOLAND LORDS AND RENTERS.
THE EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM PROVIDES GRANTS UP TO 12
MONTHS UNPAID RENT AND THREE
MONTHS OF FUTURE RENT PAYMENTS.
TENANTS WHO APPLY MUST HAVE
LEARNED LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM
INCOME DURING 2020 OR AT THE
TIME OF APPLICATION.
BY AUGUST THE EVICTION BAN IS
SET TO BE LIFTEDDED IN ILLINOIS.
WILL THIS BE ABLE TO KEEP PEOPLE
AFLOAT AS POSSIBLE EVICTIONS
COME BACK ON-LINE.
HERE ARE CAROL OSHANA A REAL
ESTATE LAWYER WHO WORKS WITH
LANDLORDS AND MICHELLE GILBERT,
LEGAL AND POLICY DIRECTOR WITH
LAWYERS COMMITTEE FOR BETTER
HOUSING.
WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
FIRST, MICHELLE, HOW IMPACTFUL
CAN THIS LATEST ROUND OF RENTAL
ASSISTANCE BE FOR CHICAGOANS?
>> I THINK THIS RENTAL
ASSISTANCE IS THE KEY.
NOT ONLY IN PREVENTING EVICTIONS
BUT PREVENTING THE EFFECTS THE
EVICTIONS WILL HAVE OR THE DEBT
WILL HAVE.
LONG-TERM NOT JUST ON THE
LANDLORDS AND TENANTS BUT ON THE
ECONOMY GENERALLY.
AND IT IS A VERY GOOD CHUNK OF
MONEY.
IT'S ALL FEDERAL MONEY.
THE CITY AND THE STATE ARE
ADMINISTERING RENTAL ASSISTANCE
FUNDS RIGHT NOW THAT CHICAGO
RESIDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR.
AND I THINK THAT IT REALLY WILL
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
>> AS YOU SEE ON OUR GRAPHIC THE
DEADLINE TO APPLY IS JUNE 8TH.
>> CAROL YOU WORKED ON SOME
COUNTY ASSISTANCE THERE'S BEEN
STATE AND COUNTY AND CITY
ASSISTANCE COMING.
YOU'VE WORKED WITH LANDLORDS
WHAT HAS THAT EXPERIENCE BEEN
LIKE?
>> IT'S DIFFICULT.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF
INFORMATION THAT SOME LANDLORDS
MAY NOT HAVE.
FOR EXAMPLE YOU HAVE TO HAVE
WRITTEN LEASES AND SOMETIMES
THEY DON'T HAVE WRITTEN LEASES.
SOMETIMES THEY DON'T HAVE THE
TENANT'S PHONE NUMBER AND
OFTENTIMES THAT IS THE CASE
BECAUSE ONE TENANT LEFT AND
ANOTHER TENANT MOVED IN LIKE IT
WAS A ROOMMATE OR WHOEVER THE
PERSON WAS AND THE LANDLORD HAS
NO IDEA WHO THE PERSON IS.
AND THE PERSON WON'T CALL WON'T
ANSWER THE DOOR THEY WON'T GIVE
AWAY THEIR PHONE NUMBER OR
E-MAIL.
SO IT HASN'T REALLY BEEN
SEAMLESS.
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T SPEAK
ENGLISH WELL IT'S DIFFICULT.
>> THERE CAN BE SNAGS IN GETTING
THIS ASSISTANCE.
>> I'M GLAD THAT COUNTY HAS
OPENED ITS PROGRAM FIRST AND IT
HAS AN ONGOING DASHBOARD AND
IT'S IT REPORTED AS OF TODAY
COMMITTED $24 MILLION IN RENTAL
ASSISTANCE.
THAT IS A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT
AND THAT IS JUST.
>> IN THIS LATEST ROUND FROM
CHICAGO THERE ARE NO UPPER
LIMITS ON THE GRANT.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT?
>> WELL, IN THE PAST ROUNDS OF
RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO EXPEDITE
GETTING THE MONEY OUT, THE
FUNDERS PROVIDED A FLAT AMOUNT.
SO IN THE FALL IT WAS 5,000
WHICH WAS GOOD.
LANDLORDS AND TENANTS NEEDED
THAT MONEY BUT IT DOESN'T
SATISFY THE NEED.
SO I WAS VERY HAPPY THAT BOTH
THE ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY AND THE CHICAGO
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING LISTENED
TO COMMENTS FROM ADVOCATES,
LANDLORDS AND TENANTS AND MAKING
HERE WITH THIS 2021 MONEY ARE
MAKING SPECIFIC GRANTS IN THE
AMOUNTS THAT THE LANDLORDS AND
TENANTS NEED TO SATISFY THE
OBLIGATION.
SO THIS SHOULD PAY OFF THE RENT
THAT IS DUE AND AS YOU INDICATED
AT THE BEGINNING ALSO WILL PAY
THREE MONTHS GOING FORWARD TO
BRING HOUSING STABILITY TO THE
MARKET.
>> CAROL, IT'S BEEN A TOUGH YEAR
PLUS FOR RENTERS AND THAT MEANS
A TOUGH YEAR AND CHANGE FOR
LANDLORDS THAT DEPEND ON RENTAL
INCOME TO PAY THEIR MORTGAGES OR
BILLS THAT THEY HAVE.
COULD YOU TELL US THE SCOPE OF
THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW FOR
HOMEOWNERS, LANDLORDS AND
BUILDING OWNERS?
>> THE PEOPLE SUFFERING THE MOST
ARE LIVING IN THE LOWER ECONOMIC
AREAS OF CHICAGO.
AND THIS HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE.
MOST OF MY PHONE CALLS ARE FROM
AREAS OF THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDE
WHERE RENTS ARE INEXPENSIVE BUT
RELATIVELY SPEAKING, OF COURSE,
BUT THE PEOPLE ARE UNEMPLOYED OR
THEY ARE WORKING BUT THEY DON'T
WANT TO PAY BECAUSE THEY DON'T
CARE.
>> HAVE YOU RUN INTO A LOT OF
LANDLORDS SAYING THEY BELIEVE
PEOPLE CAN PAY BUT THEY ARE NOT?
>> OH, YEAH, LOTS.
ONE LADY WHO BOUGHT A MERCEDES
HAS NOT PAID RENT SINCE APRIL.
>> THAT IS NOT TO MINIMIZE THE
REAL PAIN THAT WE ASSUME MOST
RENTERS ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT
NOW.
>> THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT
SOMEBODY CAN FIND ONE EXAMPLE OF
SOMEBODY ABUSED THE PROCESS.
A U.S. SENATOR WHO TRADED FOR
INSIDE INFORMATION ANYTHING IS
POSSIBLE.
BUT I'M PART OF THE COUNTY LEGAL
AID FOR HOUSING DEBT AND WE ARE
IN EVICTION COURT EVERYDAY
TALKING TO OUR OFFICE TALKING TO
TENANTS WHO DON'T HAVE
REPRESENTATION.
WE'VE DEFENDED A NUMBER OF THESE
SO LANDLORDS WHO BELIEVE THAT
THEIR TENANTS HAVE NOT PROPERLY
FILED A DECLARATION AND A MOTION
TO CHALLENGE THAT.
AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE
HAVE HAD VERY GOOD RESULTS IN
DEFENDING THOSE MOTIONS USUALLY
THE FACTS ARE HEARTBREAKING
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR
JOBS, PAID THEIR RENTS
CONSISTENTLY AND THEN THIS
HAPPENED PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO QUIT
THEIR JOBS BECAUSE THEIR
CHILDREN WERE BEING EDUCATED
REMOTELY OR PEOPLE WHO LOST
THEIR JOBS AND AND THEN HAVE
REACHED THE SITUATION WHERE THEY
HAVE NO OTHER RESOURCES.
>> CAROL, WITH THIS LATEST ROUND
OF ASSISTANCE FROM THE CITY,
OBVIOUSLY IT'S NOT JUST IN THE
RENTERS' INTEREST IF THEY ARE
STRUGGLING BUT ALSO THE LANDLORD
INTEREST.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE HELPING THEM
HELP RENTERS APPLY FOR THIS?
>> OH, YEAH, LANDLORDS WILL DO
IT THEY'LL RUN.
THEY WANT IT.
OF COURSE THEY ARE CALLING ME
SAYING THE TENANTS ARE NOT
HELPING AND THE PROBLEM WITH THE
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM A TENANT CAN
APPLY AND EVEN IF THE LANDLORD
DOES NOT RESPOND THEY ARE
ELIGIBLE BUT THE REVERSE IS NOT
TRUE.
IF A LANDLORD APPLIES AND THE
TENANT DOES INTO THE
PARTICIPATE, THE LANDLORD IS NOT
ELIGIBLE.
>> SO POTENTIAL SNAG THERE TO
WORKOUT.
CAROL, ONCE THIS EVICTION
MORATORIUM IS LIFTED, WE EXPECT
IN AUGUST WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE
EVEN WITH THESE ROUNDS OF
ASSISTANCE?
COULD THERE BE A LOT OF ACTIVITY
IN EVICTION COURT?
>> YES, THERE WILL.
A LOT OF IT IS GOING TO BE
PEOPLE MOVING OUT OF AN
APARTMENT AND GOING TO ANOTHER
ONE.
IF YOU ARE CALLING ME, YOU
PROBABLY HAVE A TENANT THAT
CAN'T PAY --
CAN PAY.
>> CAROL I WANTED TO GET
MICHELLE IN ON THAT, TOO.
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENS IN AUGUST?
>> I THINK THERE WILL BE
DISLOCATION.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE
GOING TO SEE THE NATIONAL
DISASTER WE HAVE FEARED ALL
ALONG.
THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE IS GOING
TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.
>> OUR THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR