Hawaiʻi’s eviction moratorium isn’t saving these tenants

Nonprofits say they are being overwhelmed with calls from desperate renters and worry about a public housing rule that mandates social distancing, with the threat of eviction.

It’s been four months since Governor David Ige put a moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent in the midst of widespread unemployment due to pandemic shutdowns. But attorneys who represent low-income communities say that landlords have been forcing people who can’t pay rent out anyway, without going to court or calling the sheriffs.

Advocates are also worried that a new rule approved by the Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority aimed at mandating social distancing will make it easier for people to end up on the streets.

Nonprofits say they are being overwhelmed with calls from desperate renters.

The nonprofits Lawyers for Equal Justice, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawaii said in a press conference Tuesday that they’ve been inundated with calls about the state’s eviction moratorium and have been frustrated with the lack of enforcement.