El Paso County official warns of ‘eviction tsunami’ after moratorium
EL PASO, Texas -- Since the start of the pandemic, tens of thousands of people have lost their job in the Borderland community. For many, that loss of income impacted their ability to pay bills and especially, rent.
With an eviction moratorium expected to end in January, El Paso County Commissioner David Stout says an "eviction tsunami" is looming.
"I could imagine many folks who are in over their ears and once the moratorium is lifted, I'm sure we are going to see landlords gong to court to evict people if they aren't able to pay," said Stout. "And it's not just one months rent, it's a number of months rent that they will probably be on the hook for."
With so much uncertainty for the thousands unable to pay rent, several Texas programs are coming together to help.
Stop TX Eviction.com is a collaboration between Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Texas Legal Services Center, Lone Star Legal Aid, and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
This website officers help for renters facing eviction by providing information on available resources in the El Paso community and offers legal aide to those who are in court already facing an eviction.
Everett Saucedo, an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, told ABC-7: "What it's intended to do is to enable a person who is representing themselves to be able to do that adequately on their own without the assistance of an attorney."
