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Lawmakers want to help NC renters and landlords. Is partisanship getting in the way?

Millions of dollars in rental assistance funds are sitting unspent in North Carolina — and with the federal eviction moratorium no longer in effect, many renters are at risk.

But Democrats and Republicans disagree on how to best get those funds into the hands of people that need them.

N.C. Senate Republicans recently amended House Bill 110 to make changes to North Carolina’s Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Eviction program, or HOPE, which provides rent and utility assistance to low-income renters amid the pandemic. The bill passed the Senate earlier this month in a split vote, 28-14, with only one Democrat voting in favor. The biggest change — and the one drawing the most contention — is a provision that would allow landlords to apply for assistance on behalf of tenants who are eligible for it.

The amendment was run by Sen. Chuck Edwards, a Republican whose district covers Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties.

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“The primary reason that I ran the bill is that housing providers were coming to me saying that in so many cases, tenants would present them the CDC eviction moratorium form. And while funds were available for that tenant to apply and pay their rent, for whatever reason they were not applying for the funds,” Edwards told the Editorial Board.

Not everyone who is eligible for assistance has received or applied for it, leaving a significant portion of funds unspent. Edwards said the bill would help ensure that the funding is accessed to the fullest extent possible.

But Laura Hogshead, head of the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency and the HOPE program, said that North Carolina’s program is the sixth fastest in the nation, and the bill could inadvertently tie up the disbursement of funds — exacerbating the very problem Republicans say they’re trying to fix. There are certain pieces of information that only the renter can attest to, she said, so the application would have to be passed back and forth between the landlord and the tenant before it is complete. That potential delay in assistance is apparently why most Democrats aren’t supporting the bill.

“This is a successful program. And so anything we do to it, we’re very sensitive that we do not want to slow it down, because what we’re doing is preventing evictions and preventing homelessness, and we’re getting money into the hands of landlords,” Hogshead said.

Hogshead told the Editorial Board that lawmakers did not consult with NCORR prior to introducing the amendment.

“We have tried desperately to sit down with them, and they will not accept a meeting,” Hogshead said. “I would be very happy to sit down and explain any of this to lawmakers because I want to make sure they understand what it is they’re putting in a bill.”

The bill is well-intentioned, but it’s an example of how the poisoned, partisan atmosphere in our state legislature hinders good bills from getting crafted. While the current structure focuses largely on tenants, many of whom are experiencing financial hardships as a result of the pandemic, Republicans are rightfully pushing to assist landlords, who rely on rent money to make a living. The correct path forward ought to involve a combination of both, but finding a mutually agreeable solution will require open dialogue and compromise. That’s something Democrats and Republicans don’t do very well in North Carolina.

North Carolina’s tenants and landlords need it to happen this time. HB 110 contains other important provisions — including a provision to cover the costs of a hotel or motel room for temporarily displaced households and one that would allow renters to apply for only utility assistance — that would make these funds available to even more people who need them.

Good legislation often happens when everyone gets a seat at the table. Republicans who crafted the bill should have done that from the beginning, but but we’re encouraged that Edwards indicated he’s open to compromise now. Lawmakers from both parties need to sit down with NCORR to figure out how to improve the program for landlords and renters — without slowing it down.