Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to extend Illinois’ evictions moratorium before it expires at the end of the week, his office said Thursday.
“The Governor will extend the moratorium when the current executive orders expire,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in an email.
The moratorium’s executive order is tied to the state’s disaster proclamation, which has to be renewed monthly, Abudayyeh said.
The current evictions moratorium expires Saturday.
Sheriff Tom Dart Wednesday urged Pritzker in a public letter to renew the moratorium until state and local agencies had finished issuing financial aid to homeowners and tenants. Dart warned that letting the moratorium expire would put as many as 250,000 households in the county at risk of eviction during the coronavirus pandemic.
After the letter was published, a group of Chicago landlords pleaded for more help for building owners.
“Many families are suffering a COVID-related loss of income but so are many of the people who provide them with their homes,” the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance said in a statement. “In this COVID era, the cost of providing housing has increased while rental income has declined due to the inability of many tenants to pay their rent.”
Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance President Michael Glasser added, “Chicago’s housing market is fragile right now, and housing providers need support. In order for tenants to be secure, housing needs to be stable and we need the federal government to increase relief for struggling renters and housing providers working to keep people in their homes.”
The City of Chicago has allocated $33 million in rental assistance to 10,000 homes, while Cook County is providing $20 million to 4,400 suburban households. The state is offering $5,000 rental assistance grants, part of $150 million in funds Illinois received from the CARES Act.
