Aid Available For Oklahomans After Federal Judge Overturns CDC Eviction Moratorium

A federal judge in Washington D.C. has overturned the CDC's eviction moratorium, put in place at the beginning of the pandemic to prevent people from being evicted if they couldn't pay rent. 

"In this one, the judge said it applied to the entire country, that it vacated the order entirely from the CDC," said Katie Dilks, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation. 

Dilks said the moratorium was scheduled to expire June 30 but ending it nearly two months early comes as a shock. 

"Now the question for the courts is, do all of these cases have to be rescheduled, how do they find the capacity and the time," she said. 

Dilks said even though the moratorium has been overturned, there's still help available. 

She said Oklahoma was given $260 million in federal rental assistance. 

"To pay any back rent that is owed that has accumulated over the past year but also to cover any forward rent if people are struggling and unable to pay," she said. 

Nathan Milner with the Milner Legal Group represents landlords in the Tulsa area. He said its important people know about the rental assistance available. 

"Most landlords are accepting it and would prefer that assistance come through the door, they're not always looking for possession just because," Milner said. 

Milner said most landlords are happy to help their tenants and it's crucial that people show up to court if they are facing an eviction.  

"That's going to be where we can facilitate getting help and getting agreements together to try and get that rental assistance in there so you can stay in your property and buy some time," he said. 

The Department of Justice said it does plan to appeal the judge's ruling.