Leader Ramirez’s Emergency Housing Assistance Passes in the Illinois House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill – Leader Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, recently passed House Bill 2877 in the Illinois House, legislation that provides emergency housing relief and eviction protections to thousands of Illinoisans.

“COVID-19 is a far-reaching crisis that beyond health devastation, has left many without the ability to pay their bills, putting families in jeopardy of losing their homes,” said Ramirez. “Now, more than ever, it is time to forge a proactive path forward by ensuring families throughout the state are able to stay in their homes, so that they can recover.”

Ramirez’s HB2877 creates guidelines for administering over $1 billion in federal Emergency Rental Assistance that Illinois will receive through the December stimulus and the American Rescue Plan. These guidelines will ensure that financial aid gets out efficiently and effectively to renters who have been financially devastated by the loss of employment and income. The bill creates automatic sealing of evictions during the pandemic to make sure no family is harmed by an eviction record solely because they experienced economic hardship. Finally, the bill includes protections for homeowners by putting a stay on foreclosures through May, and a pause on judicial sales of possession until July.

“We have the chance here and frankly, the duty, to legislate a proactive housing response to a pandemic which continues to ravage the health and financial security of our communities,” Ramirez added. “I will continue to fight for increased housing resources to repair the damage this moment has caused working families across our state. This bill is an important first step on the road to economic recovery.”

House Chief Cosponsor State Representative Lindsey LaPointe said, “Now, with the federal stimulus package finally sending the help that we desperately need, we have an opportunity to have a real positive impact on the people we serve. As we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, the last thing we want to do is allow housing instability. This bill will help thousands of people keep a roof over their heads as we move into this next – and hopefully last – phase of the COVID-19 pandemic”.