BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH) — Now that the COVID eviction moratorium has been lifted nationwide, 5,000 evictions have been filed in Connecticut. But more than 9,000 tenants and almost 4,000 landlords have avoided eviction with help from a federal emergency rental assistance program.
What do landlords do if tenants won’t cooperate?
“She said she’s not gonna give us any money, she’s not gonna help us in any way,” said Bristol landlord Tanya Ferrie.
Instead, the foster mother of two left a mess after being served with an eviction notice.
“She owes us $18,000 in rent,” Ferrie said. “It’s all for the tenant, there’s absolutely no help for the landlord.”
In the meantime, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo visited Connecticut.
Officials touted the Unite CT program, which involves emergency rental assistance to avoid evictions due to COVID. $72 million has been handed out in the state after a nationwide rough start.
“They were doing what everyone was doing which was building the plane as they flew it,” said Adeyemo.
As for tenants who won’t cooperate, Unite CT Director Dawn Parker said, “We are really trying to address the situation but the fact is there is there’s going to be things we cannot solve with this money… going to be situations like this that happen.”
News 8 also received a video of angry tenants pushing a walker through a glass window in Hartford County, and more photos from a Torrington property where the landlord is owed $10,000.
In all of these cases, tenants would not cooperate.
“Every time we hear about these unintended consequences of the programs we are creating… we have to go back to the table and re-evaluate,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes.
After months of turmoil, Ferrie finally picking up the pieces.
“It’s outrageous and they just get to walk away with no repercussions whatever,” Ferrie said. “We work really hard, sacrificed a lot during the last eight months. I have two children in college… nobody cares.”
Governor Lamont told News 8 he’s going to ask the legislature to extend his executive order requiring landlords to offer United CT to their tenants before they start the eviction process.