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Dear Friend,
Rental assistance keeps Washingtonians housed. That’s why it’s important to have a strong rental assistance program. Send an email to the Council now to defend ERAP. Harmful temporary changes were made to DC's Emergency Rental Assistance Program that the landlord lobby want to be made permanent. With the help of our allies, we successfully introduced amendments to the bill for eviction prevention and accountability measures for unresponsive landlords.
On April 1, however, the Council voted to weaken our amendments. We need to push one last time to protect tenants' access to these emergency funds. Tenants need help, not blame. And landlords must be held accountable for their responsibilities. Data shows that landlords cause the majority of ERAP denials by not complying with the application process. Additionally, landlords claim DC has a rent delinquency rate of about $12 million, but landlords themselves owe the city over $42 million in fines for housing code violation -- over 3 times more than what they claim tenants owe them.
The looming threat of the RENTAL Act -- a pro-landlord, anti-tenant bill that the Mayor is pushing with big developers -- makes the matter of ERAP even more pressing. This program should prevent homelessness, not make it easier for landlords to evict people.
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Personalizing your message increases engagement and strengthens our position. You can personalize your letter by including:
1) How ERAP has helped you remain housed 2) What it means to you to know your neighbors can stay housed if they are in danger of homelessness 3) Why protecting tenants in this moment is most important to you
Thank you for standing with low-income renters of DC!
In Solidarity,
Damiana Dendy The Festival Center |
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