TOLEDO, Ohio — Financial struggles threaten eviction to some 41% of Ohio renters amid the pandemic.
On Capitol Hill, there's movement on extending renter protections. Or a lack of movement, depending on who you ask.
As WTOL 11 has reported for weeks, renters are among the most at-risk. Ohio's Sens. Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Sherrod Brown say they are prioritizing financial aid for renters.
"There will be hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, literally, who will drop into poverty without that $600," Brown said. "Some of them will lose their home through eviction. Is that the society we are? I just think in the end, (if) you keep telling those stories, even people like Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell will do the right thing."
Brown is talking about federal unemployment benefits from the CARES Act, which have since expired. Most Democrats want an extension of the $600 weekly payments while most Republicans want it dropped to $200 per week. WTOL 11 asked Portman's office where he stood and a spokesperson referred us to this speech on the Senate floor.
"I think there are ways we can get there," Sen. Portman said in the July 30 speech. "I think Democrats realize $600 per week does create that disincentive."
It's not only renters feeling the heat. Landlords are, as well. One Toledo landlord told WTOL 11 he is empathetic and even agrees with an eviction moratorium, but there needs to be a more permanent solution.
Portman told WTOL 11 he agrees, saying in a statement, "As negotiations continue on the next response package, I support including provisions to protect millions of America's lowest-income renters at risk of evictions and homelessness during the pandemic. I was the first to propose emergency rental assistance as a solution to evictions in my Eviction Crisis Act... This legislation will help prevent avoidable evictions, reduce homelessness, and make it easier for people to escape poverty by keeping a roof over their heads."
Brown also released his own $100 billion emergency relief proposal but feels the reason it hasn't passed is simple.
"I think it's just a bunch of rich members of Congress that look down on workers and they don't really care," Brown said.
There is still no word on any relief in sight as renters and landlords hope the stalemate comes to close before it's too late.
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