MHCDO provides testimony to DC Council on STAYDC program
September 2, 2021|Housing
James Wright September 1, 2021
STAY DC, a program to stave off the expected wave of pandemic-related evictions, is a lifeline that the Bowser administration, property managers and community activists say can be effective, despite administrative problems.
The $200 million financial assistance program, launched in April with funding from the Biden administration, operates to prevent evictions and utility cutoffs for District renters and housing providers who are looking to cover housing and utility expenses.
“This is a good deal for residents,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who leads the Committee of the Whole, said. “People will be able to stay in their homes and keep their utilities going despite economic hardship due to the pandemic.”
Mendelson held the unusual Aug.30 hearing, which lasted five-and-a-half hours, in light of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ending its moratorium on evictions on July 31 and the Biden administration’s attempt to continue it being rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 26.