COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Columbia Housing Authority has vowed that it is committed to helping its roughly 16,000 residents avoid evictions as the federal eviction moratorium lifts.
The authority announced on Wednesday that it had adopted a resolution calling for "comprehensive actions" to ensure residents remain housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A divided Supreme Court, on Aug. 26, ended the Biden administration's ban on evictions, deciding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority by continuing the moratorium even after Congress failed to pass new legislation.
And that decision has been felt around the country and in Columbia.
‘’We want our residents to know we want to keep them in their homes," said board chair, Ernest Cromartie. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on Columbia Housing families. Many tenants have lost jobs or had their hours cut and are concerned about how they will pay rent and cover other basic needs."
He added that the authority had been working with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since April of 2020 to "find creative ways" to ease the burden on residents.
Columbia Housing said it has also worked with HUD to waive federally required administrative policies "to verify loss of income" during the pandemic.
"Instead, Columbia Housing made it much easier to report loss of income by simply completing a fillable form or sending an email," the authority stated adding that these policies have helped reduce fees quickly.
The authority processed more than 2,500 rent changes that accounted for about 40 percent of the families it serves.
Meanwhile, Columbia Housing intends to continue allowing public housing residents and Housing Choice Voucher participants to report loss of income through its additional options.
Those include:
- A fillable form
- Or sending an e-mail to covid19@columbiahousingsc.org
- Or call 803-251-2747 and verbally report the loss of income