Many Iowans have found themselves facing eviction from their homes as small claims courts across the state have resumed hearings, and as state and federal protections for renters have expired.
Cases in courtrooms across Iowa have already spiked as landlords clear the backlog of evictions they were unable to carry out over the past few months because of eviction moratoriums as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
State agencies and local nonprofits have scrambled to prepare for the influx of need, spending the past few months using federal funding to create rental and mortgage assistance programs to assist those at risk of losing their housing in the midst of a surging pandemic.
Iowa’s moratorium, which banned most evictions, expired May 27. This weekend, protections expired in the CARES Act that prevented landlords from evicting tenants who live in properties with federally backed mortgages. So did the end of the additional $600 per week in unemployment aid.
Read the full story at the Des Moines Register.