>> FOR 14 MONTHS THERE'S BEEN A

BAN ON EVICTIONS HERE IN

ILLINOIS AND THAT IS SET TO

CHANGE LATER THIS SUMMER.

AMANDA VINICKY JOINS US FOR A

LOOK AT HOUSING IN THE

PANDEMIC'S QUOTE-UNQUOTE BRIDGE

PHASE.

WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT?

>> WELL, PARIS THAT BAN ON

EVICTIONS HAS TAKEN VARIOUS

FORMS FROM A TOTAL PROHIBITION

TO NOW WHERE EVICTIONS ARE ONLY

ALLOWED IN THE STRICTEST OF

CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE WHEN A JUDGE

DEEMS SOMEBODY TO BE A DANGEROUS

THREAT.

>> SO THERE ARE LIMITED

EXCEPTIONS TO THE MORATORIUM.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHILE THE

MORATORIUM PREVENTED EVICTIONS

WHICH IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND

THAT'S REALLY PUBLIC HEALTH

ISSUE, IT HAS NOT RELIEVED

TENANTS OF THE RESPONSIBILITY TO

PAY THE RENT THAT HAS BEEN

ACCRUING.

THEY STILL HAVE THAT DEBT.

>> LAWRENCE WOOD IS AN ATTORNEY

WITH THE LEGAL AID CHICAGO'S

HOUSING PRACTICE GROUP AND HE

SAYS THAT A NEW STATE PROGRAM IS

GOING TO GO A LONG WAY THERE.

ILLINOIS IS GOING TO SPEND $1.5

BILLION OF FEDERAL MONEY TO

PAYBACK RENT OWED BY RESIDENTS

OF LIMITED MEANS, PRIORITY TO

THOSE UNEMPLOYED AND THEIR

LANDLORDS APPLY ON THE LINE AND

THE MONEY GOES STRAIGHT TO THE

LANDLORDS.

MICHAEL MINI REPRESENTS

CHICAGOLAND R LANDLORDS AND SAYS

THAT IS GOING TO HELP TO PREVENT

A HUGE WAVE OF EVICTIONS ONCE

THAT MORATORIUM IS LIFTED.

>> WE REALLY DON'T THINK THAT

THERE IS GOING TO BE THIS WHAT

HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A TSUNAMI

OF EVICTIONS ONCE THE MORATORIUM

ENDS.

>> BUT WOOD SAID THIS PROGRAM

HAS LIMITATIONS.

>> FIRST OF ALL WE DON'T KNOW IF

25,000 DOLLARS IS GOING TO

SATISFY THE DEBT.

PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING RENT

SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED BACK

IN MARCH.

>> PAUL ARENA REPRESENTS SMALL

AND MEDIUM SIZED LANDLORDS AND

WHEN I ASKED HIM WHETHER THIS

NEW RELIEF PROGRAM IS THE CURE

HE DID NOT HESITATE TO TELL ME

NO.

HE POINTS TO A COUPLE FIRST TIME

LANDLORDS RENTING TO PEOPLE WHO

STOPPED PAYING RENT BEFORE THE

PANDEMIC.

AND THEN THE EVICTION MORATORIUM

KICKED IN BEFORE THEY COULD DO

ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

THE RELIEF MONEY IS ONLY

SUPPOSED TO COVER RENTERS WITH

COVID-RELATED HARDSHIPS.

SO THEY MAY NOT QUALIFY EVEN

THOUGH THEY HAD TO ABIDE BY THE

EVICTION BAN.

TENANTS HAVE TO COOPERATE WITH

LANDLORDS TO APPLY FOR THE

FUNDING.

>> IF A TENANT JUST MOVES OUT,

RIGHT, SAY THEY STAY FOR A YEAR

AND JUST MOVE OUT, THERE'S NO

ASSISTANCE FOR THOSE LANDLORDS.

THEY HAVE NO OPTION RIGHT NOW.

SO THERE IS A WHOLE LIST OF

THINGS THAT AREAS WHERE THERE

ARE OBVIOUS DEFICIENCIES IN THE

PROGRAMS THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED.

>> WHEN GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER

ANNOUNCED THIS PROGRAM, HE ALSO

SAID THAT THE EVICTION

MORATORIUM IS GOING TO COME TO

AN END THIS SUMMER BEING PHASED

OUT AND STOPPING IN AUGUST.

MICHAEL MINI SAYS THIS IS

WELCOME AND SENSIBLE NEWS FOR

LANDLORDS.

HE SAYS EVICTIONS SHOULD BE A

LAST RESORT BUT HE HOPES THAT

PRITZKER WILL LOOSEN THE

CONDITIONS SO THAT EVICTIONS ARE

ALLOWED IN CIRCUMSTANCES

UNRELATED TO COVID AND

NONPAYMENT.

>> TO ALLOW FOR CASES TO MOVE

FORWARD, AGAINST RESIDENTS THAT

ARE AGAIN, BREAKING THE RULES,

WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, CAUSING

PROBLEMS, BEING A DANGER TO

OTHER RESIDENTS OF THE

BUILDING...

>> NORTH SUBURBAN LEGAL AID

CLINIC'S DIRECTOR OF HOUSING LAW

PRACTICE MAUREEN SIMS SAYS SHE

WORKS THROUGH A LOT OF PEOPLE

WHO HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PAY

THEIR RENT AND NOW SHE SAYS IT

IS IMPORTANT THAT ILLINOIS BE

MINDFUL BEFORE COMPLETELY

LIFTING THAT BAN.

>> WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE

THAT ALL OF THIS MONEY THAT IS

OUT THERE TO PROVIDE RENTAL

ASSISTANCE GETS DISTRIBUTED

FULLY BEFORE THE MORATORIUM IS

LIFTED.

AND YOU KNOW, THE ON-LINE

APPLICATION PROCESS DOES TAKE

SOMETIME BEFORE IT IS APPROVED

AND THE MONEY IS DISTRIBUTED.

>> MEANWHILE, THE GOVERNOR ALSO

SIGNING A LAW THAT SEALS

EVICTIONS RECORDS FROM MARCH OF

2020 WHEN THE PANDEMIC BEGAN

THROUGH MARCH OF NEXT YEAR.

SO 2022.

KIM SAYS THIS IS AN IMPORTANT

PROTECTION SO THAT A HUGE NUMBER

OF TENANTS WILL NOT BE

BLACKLISTED FROM FUTURE

APARTMENTS.

>> WE ARE FILING OF AN EVICTION

CASE GOES ON A TENANT'S

SCREENING REPORT AND A FUTURE

LANDLORD WILL SEE THAT AND NOT

WANT TO RENT TO THEM.

>> NOW, ARENA SAYS TAKE IT FROM

A LANDLORD'S PERSPECTIVE.

>> THEY ARE DESTROYING THE

CREDIT OF THE LANDLORDS.

THE LANDLORDS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN

ABLE TO PAY THEIR BILLS BECAUSE

THEY HAD NO INCOME THEIR CREDIT

IS GOING TO BE WRECKED BUT

NOBODY IS WORRIED ABOUT THEIR

RECORDS.

SO THIS WHOLE APPROACH HAS BEEN

SO ONE-SIDED IT'S FRUSTRATING.

>> AND HE SAYS THAT IF YOU DON'T

HAVE LANDLORDS PROVIDING HOUSING

OPPORTUNITIES THAT THAT IS GOING

TO CAUSE ANOTHER CRISIS A

FURTHER LACK OF AFFORDABLE

HOUSING.

WE COULD SEE SOME MORE HOUSING