State Rep. Pack urges Holcomb to invest in rental assistance for Hoosier families

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Renee Pack (D-Indianapolis) yesterday sent a letter to Governor Eric Holcomb, urging him to use available funds from the American Rescue Plan to assist thousands of Hoosier families facing the threat of eviction at the end of the month.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a nationwide eviction moratorium in September 2020. Unless the CDC chooses to extend the moratorium, landlords will be able to follow through with eviction processes beginning June 30.

Pack is the latest in a line of housing advocates calling for Governor Holcomb to allocate federal funds to rental assistance. An influx of funds to rental assistance programs would allow more Hoosiers to apply for and receive monies to make up late rent and possibly avoid eviction. As Pack highlights, over 45,000 evictions have been filed in Indiana since September 2020, with 1,040 being filed in Indianapolis alone in the past month. 

Read Pack's full letter below:

June 15th, 2021

Dear Governor Holcomb,

I pray this correspondence finds you and your family in good health. I am writing to you today about the impending eviction crisis in Indiana. After the end of Indiana's eviction moratorium, filings for eviction spiked. The eviction crisis has been delayed thanks to the CDC order that temporarily halted evictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19; however, that order may soon be ending. Therefore, I urge you to use available federal American Rescue Plan dollars to prevent the eviction of thousands of Hoosier families.

According to data from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, over 45,000 evictions have been filed in Indiana since the COVID-19 crisis began. Many of our fellow Hoosiers who are behind on rent will be at higher risk of losing their homes when the CDC’s national moratorium on evictions expires in the coming weeks. I believe that Indiana residents are hard workers that desperately want to thrive and support their families. However, the pandemic unfortunately upended their lives. These individuals simply need more time to regain their financial footing. Moreover, an eviction would sadly disrupt their recovery and potentially force them into homelessness and displacement.

It is my hope that you will give your consideration to this request.  Thousands of Hoosier families are in need of your decisive action. Thank you in advance for your guidance and attention. 

Sincerely,

Renee Pack

State Representative

House District 92