Fighting for Moratoriums on Shut-Offs, Foreclosures, & Evictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Black people are dying from COVID-19 at a disproportionately high rate. While underlying and pre-existing conditions are part of the cause, ongoing statewide practices like foreclosures, evictions, and utility shut-offs that place people at much higher risk of contracting COVID-19 are also to blame. The effects of these practices are often concentrated in Black communities and disproportionately affect Black Americans. 
 
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, LDF has sent letters to the National Governors Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and has called on state and local governments to address the many challenges associated with the current crisis, including housing and utility access. 
 
While actively monitoring all states, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is focusing on four localities with especially egregious housing and utility practices: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Green: Most moratoriums in place

Yellow: Some moratoriums in place

Red: Few to no moratoriums in place

Updated: 7/29/2020

For social media resources that you can use to urge for change in these states, click here.
To call or email your governor and urge for these measures to be taken to protect households, click here.

Water Shut-Offs Letters

For decades, LDF has been committed to ensuring all communities have access to safe and affordable water. The COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented public health crisis, and water—while always crucial for Black communities—is especially necessary to prevent the virus from spreading further. 
 

Throughout the crisis, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is sending letters to the governors of multiple states requesting water service restoration to previously disconnected customers and statewide moratoriums on water shutoffs. The letters urge each state’s governor to act immediately to protect vulnerable water customers facing extreme distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 
The letters also assert LDF’s concern for the health and safety of Black people who reside in these states. National and state data have shown that Black people are dying of COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate, and a 2019 report from LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute concluded that water shutoffs disproportionately impact Black populations. A statewide proclamation halting water shutoffs and restoring water service will ensure that all state residents have access to the basic hygiene necessary during this period.
 
Read letters LDF has delivered to state governors thus far below and follow LDF on social media for updates.

Delivered on April 13, 2020 to Governor Kay Ivey. Read here.

Delivered on April 13, 2020 to Governor Asa Hutchinson. Read here.

Delivered on April 13, 2020 to Governor Ron DeSantis. Read here.

Delivered on April 13, 2020 to Governor Brian Kemp. Read here.

Delivered on April 27, 2020 to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Read here.

Additionally, LDF delivered a letter on April 27, 2020 to Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit. Read here.

Delivered on April 13, 2020 to Governor Michael Parson. Read here.

Delivered on April 27, 2020 to Governor Roy Cooper. Read here.

Delivered on November 18, 2020 to Governor Tate Reeves. Read here.

Thurgood Marshall Institute Publications

Foreclosures, Evictions, & Utility Cutoffs: Expiring Protections for People Facing Hardship During the Pandemic | July 2020

How the CARES Act is Impacting Renters and Homeowners | April 2020

Foreclosures, Evictions, and Utility Cutoffs: The Fair Housing Impact of COVID-19 on Black Communities | March 2020

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