Community Funds Help Renters At Risk of Eviction in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s moratorium on evictions ended at the end of May, and as the courts reopen, legal experts said COVID-19 related eviction cases are on the rise.

“We have seen a definite increase in the number of people who have come to us for help. It’s people that have had a lot of income before and now have none. This is a new situation to be in for a lot of people. Still, it’s something that we have expertise in, because we represent low-income people all the time,” Legal Action of Wisconsin attorney Erica Lopez said. 

Dane County and the Tenant Resource Center launched a $10,000,000 emergency eviction program, aiming to help more than 9,000 renters at risk of eviction because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The application can be filled out online at tenantresourcecenter.org. 

“There are a lot of resources, but it’s taking time to access them,” Lopez said.

Lopez said simply staying in communication while waiting on resources to come through can often buy time.

“Talk to their landlords. Talk to people who are trying to repossess their cars, and say we have a payment, a stimulus payment, coming. We applied for it, but it hasn’t come yet. It’s unique now with this pandemic in that some landlords are willing to negotiate,” Lopez said.

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