Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday that he’s going to keep the eviction moratorium in place a little longer, a day after a federal judge invalidated the national ban.
“We’re getting the rent relief program really going now,” Lamont said. “We need another month or two in order to be able to make sure tenants as well as landlords are taken care of there.”
On Wednesday, May 6, a federal court judge from the District of Columbia struck down the nationwide moratorium on evictions. However, that ruling has been put on hold as the result of an appeal filed by the Department of Justice. That means the eviction ban will be in place through June 30, but it’s not automatic. It only applies to tenants who cannot pay full rent or other housing payments because they have lost income or have very expensive medical bills.
In Connecticut, Lamont’s executive power is expected to run out on May 20, but he said he’s in discussions with legislative leaders over how to handle the issue.
House Speaker Matt Ritter has predicted that Lamont’s powers would be extended, but he declined to speculate for how long. It’s the subject of discussion between Lamont and Democratic lawmakers.
UniteCT is the program set up by the state in mid-March to distribute federal rental assistance, but housing advocates have been critical of the slow drip of rental assistance provided to renters and landlords.
The program has more than $200 million in federal rental assistance to hand out but has only distributed about $1.2 million as of last week.
