Detroit Advocates Warn of “Mass Evictions” as Moratorium Ends

Michigan’s pandemic-induced eviction moratorium will be ending on Thursday. Housing activists are asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to extend the ban on evictions for the fifth time.

“If that’s the resolution to how are we going to prevent mass evictions, then the mass evictions should be at least delayed until that program has the chance to show that it can work.” — Ted Phillips, United Community Housing Coalition.

If the moratorium expires, that means the pending eviction cases that have been backlogged in Michigan courts will proceed and hundreds of tenants could face eviction immediately and become homeless during a pandemic. Whitmer could extend the moratorium, but is pointing to the state’s eviction diversion program as a way to help tenants during the crisis. 

Listen: “How will ending the eviction moratorium affect Detroiters”

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Lakeshia Perkins is a tenant who recently faced eviction, but whose case was resolved. She became ill and fell behind on rent after taking a leave from work to go through chemotherapy. She says that losing her home because of missed rent would have devastated her.

“I probably wouldn’t be as healed as I am today,” Perkins says. “I have four children and I am a single mom.” She says the eviction moratorium allowed her to get help for her situation. 

Ted Phillips is the executive director of the United Community Housing Coalition, a non-profit that advocates for low-income tenants in Detroit. 

According to Phillips, there are approximately 900 eviction cases pending. He says that Whitmer’s eviction diversion program won’t be ready to help the most immediate cases, such as 450 or more evictions that could occur this week. He adds that groups contracted to do the work won’t be ready until the end of July and the money needed for paying judgments won’t be available until early August. 

“The 36th District Court does not have to do this. It doesn’t have to have mass evictions in the city of Detroit.”

“If that’s the resolution to how are we gonna prevent mass evictions, then the mass evictions should be at least delayed until that program has the chance to show that it can work,” Phillips says. 

However, Phillips says that the courts share culpability in preventing evictions.

“The 36th District Court does not have to do this. It doesn’t have to have mass evictions in the city of Detroit. We blame Lansing a lot and we should, but sometimes we have the opportunity here in our own community to do the right thing and the courts should,” Phillips says.

This article was written by Detroit Today student producer Lauryn Azu.