Pasadena residents evicted from their apartments (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net).
As the novel coronavirus spreads across the United States and the world, public health experts are speaking with one voice—practice social distancing and stay home.
By Ryan Bell
But staying home is only possible if you have a home. Already, tens of thousands of Pasadena residents live month-to-month, one paycheck from facing eviction. There is never a good time to be evicted from your home, but during a global pandemic has to be one of the worst times. Homelessness and housing insecurity threaten not only the individuals and families at risk of losing their home, they threaten everyone.
For all these reasons the Pasadena Tenants Union is circulating a petition calling upon the mayor and city council to pass an immediate and sweeping moratorium on all evictions for at least the next 60 days. City council must also guarantee that residents will not have their utilities shut off due to non-payment as the financial effects of COVID-19 are felt. Additionally, many lower income homeowners are at risk of losing their homes if they can’t make their mortgage payments. As this crisis intensifies, we urgently need our elected officials to keep us all safe, starting with the most vulnerable members of our community.
Ryan Bell is a member of Pasadena Tenants Union and a current candidate for Pasadena City Council.
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