SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The COVID-19 eviction moratorium comes to a close on August 31, and organizations like the Salvation Army are expecting a lot of new referrals.
Syracuse city residents are concerned that once September rolls around and the freeze ends, they will end up on the street.
When the city opened up a hotline for those who fear eviction once the freeze ends, the amount of calls was overwhelming.
“Initially they had hundreds of thousands of calls that they had backlogged,” Christina Thornton, the director of emergency and practical assistance services at the Salvation Army said.
And those callers are concerned. Pam Alderson, practical assistance manager at the Salvation Army, says she gets phone calls every day from worried tenants.
“Tenants are concerned. I mean, I get phone calls every day of people panicking, ‘I owe all this rent, I don’t know what to do. How can I get help? What am I going to do,” Alderson said.
Further complicating the situation is the impending court case, where landlords are saying that the moratorium simply moved the burden onto them.
Alderson said that without a stream of money, things can get dicey for landlords. Property taxes, water bills, and general maintenance become difficult.
“It’s a catch 22 and it’s a struggle. So we’re hoping that things will even out and some of these landlords will be able to continue to rent, but it’s hard to upkeep a building when you don’t have that income,” Alderson said.
The workers at the Salvation Army are ready for September. Thornton says their ability to be flexible will be the key. “We just kind of roll with it here. We’re very adaptable. We’re expecting a huge influx of referrals,” Thornton said.
The Salvation Army has four homeless prevention programs including two that focus on mental health.
