Community Impact Newspaper.
With mass vaccinations on the horizon, many advocates, community leaders and legal experts are worried about a possible wave of evictions once moratoriums are eventually lifted, spiking homelessness and exacerbating another public health issue. They say whether that wave will be a tsunami, as some have predicted, will be up to the progress communities can make while the moratoriums remain in place.
However, issues in collecting local data have left the city uncertain as to the scale of unpaid rent in Austin and, thus, the resources required to address it. The federal government’s only coronavirus stimulus package is set to expire Dec. 31 and local elected leaders, government officials and housing advocates say without another one, progress will be difficult to forge.