Thousands of Philadelphians could lose their homes in two weeks unless City Council members reinstate an eviction moratorium. On Wednesday, October 21st, the City Council Housing Committee held a nearly four-hour hearing on three housing bills (Nos. 200414, 200420, and 200421). Two of the Bills extend the late fee waiver and repayment plan protections under the EHPA. The third bill re-instates an eviction moratorium through the end of 2020. The Committee did not end up voting on the bills because they could not agree on whether the moratorium legislation should apply to all renters or just those who have a COVID-19 related hardship. We believe that the moratorium should apply to all Philadelphia renters. Limiting its application is dangerous, and could risk the health and safety of thousands of renters who might not be aware of their rights, will be displaced from their homes, and will be put at risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 regardless of the reason for the eviction. At a time when COVID-19 cases are at the highest levels since the Spring, we need City Council to pass these three bills without any amendments and protect the health of all Philadelphians.
Call and Email your Councilmember today. Below is a Call Script and an Email Template:
If you live in Frankford, Call Maria Quiñones Sánchez:
Dial this number: 215-686-3448 OR 215-686-3449
If you live in Germantown, Call Cindy Bass:
Dial this number: 215-686-3424 OR 215-686-3425
Call Script
Hi, my name is ____________________________. I am a renter and I live in the _____________ neighborhood. I am also a member of Renters United Philadelphia. We organize and educate renters to fight for their rights. How are you doing today?
I’m calling to ask Council member Maria Quiñones-Sánchez OR Cindy Bass to vote YES on the three bills before the Housing Committee that will extend the important protections in the EHPA without any additional amendments. (Bills 200414, 200420, and 200421) We especially need an eviction moratorium that applies to all Philadelphia renters. These bills will provide stability for Philadelphia renters like me. We are still in a pandemic and our economy has not recovered yet.
Without these bills, Philadelphia will see a wave of evictions that will cost the City millions in additional services and cause an additional 47,500 COVID-19 cases. Every member of City Council voted in favor of the EHPA over the summer when case counts were lower than today. Now, it is time to pass these three bills and keep important renter protections in place.
Make the Ask
Will you be voting YES on Bills 200414, 200420, and 200421?
Closing
Thanks for your time. We at Renters United Philadelphia look forward to continuing to work with you!
Email Template
If you live in Frankford, Email Maria Quiñones Sánchez:
Email: Maria.Q.Sanchez@phila.gov
If you live in Germantown, Email Cindy Bass:
Email: Cindy.bass@phila.gov
Copy and Paste the email below into your email:
Dear ______________________, (insert name of councilmember)
My name is ____________________________. I am a renter and I live in the _____________ neighborhood. I am also a member of Renters United Philadelphia. We organize and educate renters to fight for their rights.
I am writing to ask you to vote YES on the three bills before the Housing Committee that will extend important protections in the EHPA without any amendments. We especially need an eviction moratorium that applies to all Philadelphia renters – displacement of any of us during a pandemic puts all of us at risk of getting COVID-19. These bills will provide stability for Philadelphia renters like me. We are still in a pandemic and our economy has not recovered yet.
- We need an eviction moratorium to make sure everyone has stable housing during this crisis.
- We need continued late fee waivers to give renters time to recover. Late fees pile up and bury renters further and further in the hole.
- We need repayment plans to give renters time to get back on their feet and catch up on rent. And it’s not just renters – repayment plans benefit landlords too.
Without these bills, Philadelphia will see a wave of evictions that will cost the City millions in additional services and cause 47,500 additional COVID-19 cases. Every member of City Council voted in favor of the EHPA over the summer when cases were lower than today. Now, we need you to stand up for public health and pass these three bills to put important renter protections in place.
Will you be voting YES on Bills 200414, 200420, and 200421?
Thanks for your time. We at Renters United Philadelphia look forward to continuing to work with you!
Sincerely,
_____________________________________
Fill out this form to report on the outcome of your call and/or email:
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