March 15, 2020
In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Cleveland DSA is urging all partner organizations to sign on to this letter to Ohio Governor DeWine, urging him to place an immediate moratorium on all evictions and utility shut-offs, and to allocate additional resources to local homelessness assistance organizations. While it is crucial that we put in place social distancing and quarantine measures in response to this pandemic, we must also work to protect workers and tenants from the economic impact of lost wages and other financial hardships. In times of crisis, it is not the capitalists who will suffer the brunt of tightened purses and austerity, but rather the working class. An immediate freeze on evictions and utility shut-offs will allow workers and tenants to take the proper precautions to prevent the spread of the disease, without being forced out of their homes and further distressing our already over-capacity homeless shelter system. In addition to this short term moratorium, we also call on the state government to provide long term assistance after the crisis is resolved to make sure that tenants and homeowners do not face eviction or foreclosure due to lost wages during the crisis.
We are proud to work with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless on this letter to the governor. Please use this link to add your organization to the list of signers: https://www.neoch.org/cleveland-homeless-blog/2020/3/13/covid19-virus-ohio-needs-an-eviction-moratorium
In solidarity,
DSA Cleveland