If you would like to view a PDF of this update click here.

ADDRESSING CLIENTS’ NEEDS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

April 29, 2020

If you would like to view a PDF of this update click here.

Important Deadlines:  Tenants who know they cannot pay May rent must notify their landlord in writing by May 10, 2020 that they can’t pay rent due to full or partial unemployment, or significant loss in revenue or increase in expenses due to the pandemic to get a 60-day extension to pay the rent.

Resources for tenants and homeowners:

  • Click here to understand current tenant rent relief options in Spanish and English.
  • Click here to find more details in our tenant FAQ.
  • Click here to understand current rights for homeowners in Spanish and English.
  • Click here to understand how fair housing can protect you during the COVID-19 crisis. (Recently added Tagalog and Khmer translations to our guidance now available in 11 languages.)
  • Need to have your subsidized rent recalculated due to income loss? The Rent Recalculation Request tool can be accessed here in Spanish and English.
  • To sign up for our daily update fill out the form

Fair housing issues and COVID-19:

  • April is Fair Housing Month! The federal Fair Housing Act was passed on April 11, 1968 and was designed to stop individual acts of discrimination as well as to tasking federal, state, and local governments with promoting integration.  If you think you have been the victim of housing discrimination, call the Center at (888)247-440 or email us at info@ctfairhousing.org.

What happened on April 28, 2020:

  • Advocates ask Department of Housing to create a program to help tenants who cannot pay rent: The Connecticut Department of Housing published a notice of how it planned to spend its portion of CARES Act funding. The Center and the civil legal services agencies in Connecticut provided comments asking that that DOH spend additional CARES Act funds on an eviction prevention program. To see a copy of the comments submitted to DOH, click
  • Connecticut Latinos face high infection rates: The U.S. Labor Department estimated that 32% of Latinos in Connecticut were working on service industry jobs. As a result, those that have not been laid off are facing high rates of infection from COVID-19. Latinos account for 33.8% of all deaths from COVID-19 compared with just 17.2% of Whites. African-Americans account for 39% of all deaths from the virus. For more on this story, click here.
  • Tenants cannot pay rent: As May 1 approaches, more tenants are reporting they will be unable to pay the rent. Even those tenants receiving stimulus money and unemployment benefits report that they must use that money to buy food for their families. To read more about the growing rent crisis, click here and here and here.
  • Borrowers need clarification on forbearance repayments: While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each issued statements that borrowers are not required to repay the payments missed during a forbearance all at once when the forbearance period ends, many other loan services have not given that directive to their borrowers. Many borrowers in forbearance have been told they must come up with a lump sum payment at the end of the forbearance period or face foreclosure. For more on this story, click here. For more information on the guidance sent out by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, click here.
  • Mortgages in forbearance continue to grow: The Mortgage Bankers Association’s latest survey on forbearance volume reveals that the total number mortgages in forbearances rose to 6.99%, with FHA/VA loans at nearly 10%. Analysts expect these numbers to grow once again when May mortgage payments become due. For more information on this story, click here.
  • Outreach: Stay tuned for two important webinars coming soon. We will present on COVID-19 related housing discrimination and temporary eviction protections.
  • Outreach: Staff continue to hold fair housing trainings and COVID-19 housing resource workshops via Zoom with social service agencies, direct service providers, and invested stakeholders. If your agency would find a short resource webinar or fair housing training helpful during this crisis please contact Shaznene Hussain, the Center’s Education and Outreach Coordinator, at Shussain@ctfairhousing.org

Still needed to ensure housing stability:

  • Help for tenants who cannot pay their rent.
  • Payments to landlords to allow them to maintain their buildings and continue to provide housing.
  • Bar on mortgage companies filing foreclosure complaints. More than 625 have been filed since the Governor declared a public health and civil preparedness emergency, including several that are banned by the agreement banks and credit unions struck with the Governor and the Department of Banking.
  • Municipalities need to comply with Executive Order 7S and make it easy for their constituents to participate in either a tax deferral or reduced interest program.

More external COVID-19 resources can be found on our website here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, MANDARIN, VIETNAMESE, FARSI, RUSSIAN, ITALIAN, KREYOL, ARABIC, KHMER, AND TAGALOG, CLICK HERE.

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