Only one-third of Louisiana‘s eviction moratorium relief money has been disbursed

Only one-third of the funding aimed at helping Louisiana renters and landlords during the COVID-19 pandemic has been disbursed.
Gov. John Bel Edwards praised the federal eviction moratorium extension last week.The eviction ban was implemented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year and was extended multiple times. The moratorium lapsed July 31 but now will continue until Oct. 3.
Under the extension, public and private landlords cannot evict tenants if they do not pay their rent, providing the tenant makes less than $99,000 a year or $198,000 for couples filing their taxes jointly and lives in an area of high COVID-19 transmission.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 80% of all U.S. counties and 90% of all renters are covered. The figures may be higher in Louisiana since the state has the highest COVID-19 infection rate per capita in the country.
While renters receive an additional 60 days of protection, many Louisiana landlords remain financially strained because of a lack of timely support. According to the Louisiana Emergency Rental Assistance Program, only $19.6 million has been disbursed from $61 million in approved emergency funding.
The gap has affected property owners such as Eloise Gauthier, a real estate agent and rental-income investor of more than 33 years. Gauthier said she’s had to sell 10 units to make...