Job losses, evictions and utility cutoffs: Being poor amid COVID-19 outbreak

News Story (Virginia)

Ned Oliver
Virginia Mercury
March 13, 2020
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Tags: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Employment, Housing: Eviction

Organizations mentioned/involved: Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Legal Aid Justice Center (Virginia)


DETAILS

With a viral pandemic set to disrupt daily life around Virginia, advocates are issuing urgent calls for state and local officials to step in to protect low-income, homeless and disabled Virginians who they say are least equipped to safely weather the growing crisis. They’re asking for a state-wide moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, utility cut-offs and collections actions, including by hospitals. For those who already homeless, they’re asking for additional support and shelter. How can a person evicted from their home over nonpayment of rent be expected to quarantine themselves, asked Martin Wegbreit, the director of litigation at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.