OKLAHOMA CITY – Evictions in Oklahoma may soar after July 31, when foreclosure moratoriums imposed by federal agencies expire.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended through July 31 a moratorium on foreclosures from properties financed by USDA Single-Family Housing Direct and Guaranteed loans. This will “bring relief to residents in rural America who have housing loans through USDA,” agency officials said.
The USDA also extended through July 31 a moratorium on evictions of hundreds of thousands of Americans who live in multifamily housing communities supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s moratorium issued last year to temporarily prevent the eviction of tenants unable to pay their rent has been extended to July 31; that moratorium was scheduled to expire on June 30. “This is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC.
In addition, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced on June 24 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have extended moratoriums on single-family foreclosures and real estate-owned evictions until July 31.
“The United States is recovering from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson. “Today’s actions will give tenants at USDA-supported properties essential relief while the department extends the emergency rental assistance provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.”
The steps taken by the USDA are part of the Biden administration’s strategy “to get Americans vaccinated and the economy back on track,” Maxson said.
Beyond July 31, the USDA will continue to support homeowners experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic by making loss mitigation options available to help keep them in their homes, Maxson said.
Homeowners and renters can visit “www.consumerfinance.gov/housing” for up-to-date information on their relief options, protections, and key deadlines from USDA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The American Rescue Plan Act implements funding that invests in the people of rural America now and beyond the July 31 moratorium extension. It provides:
- $100 million through September 2022 in rental assistance for very-low-income tenants.
- $39 million through September 2023 to help refinance direct loans under the Single-Family Housing Loan Program and the Single-Family Housing Repair Loan program.
- $500 million in Community Facilities Program funds to help rural hospitals and local communities broaden access to COVID-19 vaccines and food assistance.
In addition to programs facilitated by the USDA, the American Rescue Plan Act provides significant investments into rural communities by expanding internet connectivity. It also establishes a homeowner assistance fund to assist struggling homeowners with mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, utilities, and other housing-related costs.
Despite the federal moratoriums, Oklahoma did not enact its own moratorium on evictions. Consequently, nearly 36,000 eviction notices were filed in Oklahoma in the past 15 months, court records reflect.
According to Katie Dilks, executive director of the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation, Oklahoma set aside $260 million in federal funding last December to help with emergency rental assistance, the Associated Press reported.
Dilks also said the state has used approximately $1.3 million to provide legal representation to renters facing eviction, AP reported.
Because the CDC moratorium protects tenants from eviction for failure to pay their rent, many landlords have cited other reasons for filing eviction applications, such as lease violations or property damage, Dilks told the AP.
According to Open Justice Oklahoma, a program of the Oklahoma Policy Institute based in Tulsa, 35,778 eviction applications were filed across the state from March 15, 2020, through late June 2021, and 14,439 of those were approved.
- In Comanche County, 1,558 eviction applications were filed during that period and 1,065 of them were approved, Open Justice Oklahoma reports.
Elsewhere in southwest Oklahoma:
- Stephens County: 266 evictions were filed, 199 were granted.
- Jackson County: 74 evictions filed, 6 granted.
- Kiowa County: 18 filed, 8 authorized.
- Tillman County: 26 filed, 9 granted.
- Cotton County: 12 filed, 3 granted.
- Jefferson County: 12 filed, 4 approved.
- Caddo County: 42 applications filed, 30 authorized by the district court.
- Harmon County: 7 filed, 4 granted.
- Greer County: 12 filed, 7 granted.
- Grady County: 202 applications filed, 135 approved.