Dennis Carr/FlickrCC
The City of Cleveland will suspend evictions "caused by economic hardship resulting from the coronavirus pandemic," city council president Kevin Kelley announced this afternoon.
Legislation on that front is expected to be passed a week from today at city council's next meeting but Kelley, in a letter to Cleveland Municipal Housing Court Judge Mona Scott, insinuated that the court should stop as soon as possible.
A spokesperson for Judge Scott didn't immediately respond to a request for comment or clarification on the topic.
The legislation is expected to only cover cases where hardship is tied to the pandemic, so evictions tied to anything criminal, for instance, could go on, a council spokesperson told Scene.
@CleCityCouncil will be working with the Judge Scott and the Cleveland Housing Court to suspend evictions caused by economic hardship resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Official action anticipated next Monday. pic.twitter.com/ScPlgeIAku
— Kevin Kelley (@kevinkelleyCLE) March 16, 2020
It has been less than a week since some states and cities have taken drastic and needed measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Those measures have already produced dire financial effects, and those economic realities will continue to accumulate over the coming months.
As restaurants, bars and other small businesses temporarily shutter and/or layoff employees, and as hundreds and soon thousands will be self quarantined, cities such as Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York and others have instituted moratoriums protecting renters from being evicted.
