TheBurg

12 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 01.21 W hen the pandemic hit, all Bobby Mitchell wanted to do was stay home. He would be considered at-risk for many reasons. He's 61 years old and has various health issues, including diabetes and high blood pressure, not to mention the kidney transplant he underwent. Mitchell was receiving Social Security disability benefits, but it wasn't enough to cover rent, utilities and other expenses. Before the pandemic, Mitchell collected aluminum, copper and other materials from nearby scrapyards to make up the difference. With help from his friend, he made around $500 in a "good month." As March ushered in COVID-19, he couldn't collect anymore. His son was out of work, and his son's mother wasn't working due to mental health issues. Mitchell fell behind on rent. "You've got to think about your family," he said. "I had to take care of his needs, her needs and mine." All Mitchell wanted to do was stay home, but that grew increasingly uncertain as back rent piled up and an eviction notice loomed. However, after working with Kay Pickering at e Center for Peace and Justice in Harrisburg, armed with a federal document, Mitchell was able to postpone his eviction. COVID CHAOS When the pandemic hit in March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court halted evictions, which Gov. Tom Wolf extended through the end of August. In September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control picked up where the state left off, declaring a ban on evictions through Dec. 31. is applied to evictions for non-payment of rent, as in Mitchell's case. Although the moratorium protected these residents from a lockout, landlords could still file for eviction. In Harrisburg, between Sept. 1 and Dec. 7, there were 528 evictions filed, according to data from the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University and Philadelphia Legal Assistance. Of those, 151 tenants were protected under the CDC's declaration and could stay in their homes, at least through the end of December. ere were 171 cases with scheduled hearings, and in 206 cases, landlords were granted possession. Caleb Cossick, a volunteer with Greater Harrisburg Area Tenants United, which advocates for renter's rights, explained the reason behind lockouts happening despite the moratorium. "People aren't being told their rights," he said. "Information just isn't shared." ere were some people who weren't aware of the moratorium or the declaration that they were required to fill out in order for it to apply, Cossick said. ere were others who were evicted due to a month- to-month lease, in which the landlord can cancel whenever they want. Some were evicted because they only had an "oral lease," which is less likely to hold up in court. Cossick calls these "loopholes." With the declaration being relatively vague, he said that a magisterial district judge was often left to interpret the rules how they saw fit for each case. "If a landlord wants to get around it [the declaration], they can try," he said. roughout the pandemic, Greater Harrisburg Tenants United has set up tables outside court offices and at community events with the hope of stopping evictions by educating tenants of their rights. In the declaration, the tenant had to certify that they had "used best efforts" to obtain all available government assistance, that they were unable to pay their full rent, but were paying as much as they could. ey must also be facing homelessness if they are evicted, the declaration form said. According to Harrisburg attorney Jordan Cunningham, this is one of the biggest issues. Renters are not paying anything even if they are able to. "Zero isn't what you can afford if you are still working," Cunningham said. "My concern from the aspect of the landlord is, if we are going to have a moratorium in place, the landlord needs to have some way to enforce the lease and receive some rent, if not all of the rent." HOME SICK Harrisburg residents face eviction, unpredictable future during the pandemic. BY MADDIE CONLEY GITTENS Greater Harrisburg Area Tenants United

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