Housing advocates are delivering a virtual petition to Governor Janet Mills on Tuesday calling on her to issue an executive order freezing rent and mortgage payments and banning evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 1,800 people have signed the petition since its launch in late March, with many Maine landlords and renters sharing concerns of losing their homes in the midst of the public health crisis.
“Our landlord has given us an extension for April, but we still don’t have any idea how we’re going to pay for both months when May comes, and we can’t be the only ones,” said Bianca Brancella, an unemployed restaurant server from Rockland who signed the petition.
“We had finally started to get our heads above water with rent and bills when the coronavirus hit. Now we’re both out of work again,” Brancella said, referring to herself and fiancé Chris Tate who was forced out of work after a chemical accident.
“How are we supposed to bounce back as a state if we can’t come to a reasonable solution for tenants and landlords?” she asked.
The petition calls for the governor to issue a moratorium on all evictions and foreclosures of residences and small businesses, which will be extended to at least 90 days after the governor declares the public health emergency over.
It also calls for rents and mortgages to be forgiven during the moratorium, as well as for the establishment of a program to help property owners receive financial assistance from the government for lost revenue.
The delivery comes just days after Mills issued a stay-at-home order requiring Mainers to shelter in place for all but essential services, like pharmacy or grocery store visits.
During the March 31 press conference announcing the order, Mills declined to say whether she would support a moratorium on evictions or rent increases. Instead, she said that the problem of Mainers not being able to afford rent is not “one-size-fits-all,” and that she would prefer to tackle the issue “informally.”
“With good reason, the Governor has asked all Mainers to stay home,” said Alison Weiss of Maine Equal Justice, “but people need a home to heed that call, and many who are out of work can’t afford rent or mortgage payments.”
Different approach needed to keep some landlords from ‘taking advantage of the situation’
Despite the fact that Maine’s courts have temporarily halted eviction proceedings because of COVID-19, there have been documented threats of eviction for residential and commercial renters in the last month.
Bayside Village residents in Portland began receiving eviction notices in late March, and renters living in an Augusta apartment and boarding house found themselves locked out of their building after being told to vacate the property. Small business owners in Portland have begun circulating a petition to the city council demanding a rent freeze after several business owners reported that landlords were continuing to demand April rent without providing flexibility.
Katarina Weslien, the co-owner of 25 studio spaces in downtown Portland, argued that without a formal rent moratorium for renters and financial support for landlords, bad actors will continue to abuse the situation.
“Unfortunately, some landlords are taking advantage of the situation that we’re in, they’re trying to evict tenants in order to raise the rents and we think this just is not right,” she said. “This is a collective problem and it requires a collective response. That’s why we’re calling on Governor Mills to issue a rent freeze during this crisis and provide cash assistance to landlords who would lose income from not collecting rents.”
Organizations who work with renters and individuals experiencing homelessness fear that, without guidance from the state, landlords will continue to threaten illegal evictions and jeopardize access to housing for Mainers — even after the public health crisis has ended.
“As Mainers stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19, we are reminded now as ever that housing is health care,” said Heather Zimmerman, advocacy director at Preble Street.
“Homelessness is always an emergency and people experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Zimmerman noted. “In the current emergency our state must recommit to ending homelessness, starting with ensuring that no additional Mainers are subjected to homelessness during the public health and economic crises.”
Photo: Governor Janet Mills speaks at a March 25 press conference. | Still from Maine Public video stream
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