Yesterday, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation to protect District residents in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. While the emergency legislation provides important protections against eviction, more must be done—and quickly—to prevent District residents from losing their homes to foreclosure. Prohibiting foreclosure auctions from occurring during the District’s public health emergency is critical for protecting the health and stability of District homeowners, many of whom are elderly, low-income, or otherwise vulnerable. We urge the Council to pass standalone emergency legislation to protect vulnerable District homeowners. Read more →

Within the past few days, both the D.C. Council and the D.C. Superior Court have enacted emergency measures to protect tenants during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council yesterday contains several critical protections for tenants. Legal Aid worked closely with other advocates and with Committee Chairs Anita Bonds (Housing) and Charles Allen (Judiciary) and their staff, as well as Chairman Phil Mendelson and his staff, to ensure that tenants will be protected as the current crisis unfolds. Read more →

The COVID-19 Response Emergency Amendment Act of 2020, unanimously passed by the D.C. Council yesterday afternoon, takes key steps to protect access to safety-net programs for District residents.  We appreciate the work that the Council and Mayor have done so far on this issue.  However, there is still important work to be done.

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On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the DC Council unanimously passed emergency legislation in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Importantly, DC temporarily amended the rules for unemployment compensation benefits to help even more workers who become fully or partially unemployed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Last Friday, March 13, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion and order temporarily preventing the Trump Administration from implementing changes to a rule that would cut off access to SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, for nearly 700,000 Americans, including more than 13,000 DC residents. 

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