CT Eviction Moratorium Being Extended: Lamont

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he would extend the state’s residential eviction moratorium until the end of the year. It was previously set to expire Oct. 1.

The moratorium will apply to tenants who were up-to-date on their rent payments prior to the pandemic and have paid at least a portion of their rent since.

Lamont also announced that he would double funding for the Temporary Rental Housing Assistance Program from $20 million to $40 million. The program provides up to $4,000 to landlords on behalf of their tenants. The money comes from the federal CARES Act. The program will open to new applicants in mid-October and will come with a new web platform that makes it easier to apply for assistance, Lamont said.

“Since the Temporary Housing Rental Assistance Program went live on July 15, we’ve received more than seven thousand submissions,” said Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno in a statement “We paused intake because the program was slow. This allowed us to redesign it and increase staff capacity in anticipation of additional funding.

Connecticut has also earmarked $10 million for mortgage relief assistance for homeowners, $5 million for renters facing eviction prior to the pandemic and $5.8 million to rehouse people exiting homelessness or incarceration.

Connecticut’s cities also got $10 million of CARES Act money to prevent homelessness during the pandemic.

“Public health experts at the CDC have determined that supporting renters and landlords during this public health crisis is critical to controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Lamont said in a statement.. “I’m trying to get people back to work and children back to school, and having a home you can call your own is a critical foundation for making that happen.”

He also called on Republicans in Congress to support additional federal aid for housing assistance during the pandemic.