We demand an immediate moratorium on evictions, repossessions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs throughout Alaska regardless of ability to pay, for as long as we are in this crisis.
- We call on Governor Dunleavy to put in place a moratorium on evictions, repossessions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs for the State of Alaska, and sign HB310 into law.
-We call on the State Legislature to amend HB310, too allow all tenants regardless of ability to pay, or not, to be protected from evictions
- We call on the State Legislature to expedite the passage of HB310, which would grant a moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs for nonpayment until April 30, 2021.
- The moratorium on evictions, repossessions, and foreclosures should apply to all types of housing including automobiles, regardless if the property is owned privately, by the state of Alaska, or by a non-profit. The moratorium should also be expanded to include protections against commercial evictions for businesses unable to pay their bills during this time.
-The moratorium must mean that property owners cannot file for new evictions due to nonpayment of rent and existing eviction cases for nonpayment will not be heard in courts.
-Utilities—including water, electricity, gas, phone, and internet—must not be shut off, regardless of ability to pay. We call on all utilities to halt shut-offs, increasing rates, and applying late fees.
- We call on Mayor Berkowitz to order that no Municipality of Anchorage resources, including the Anchorage Police Department, be used to enforce eviction and foreclosure orders during this state of emergency.
We also demand a one-year period of emergency rent and debt forgiveness on rent, mortgage, and utility bills built up since the governor’s emergency declaration of a public health disaster in Alaska.
- Tenants must be relieved of the obligation to pay rent and utilities bills during this one-year period from March 11, 2020 until March 11, 2021.
- Landlords, debt collectors, and utility companies must be prohibited from attempting to recover this money from bills during this period, recover possession of property, shut off utilities, or otherwise retaliate against the tenant due to nonpayment of bills accrued during this one-year period.
- We call on our elected officials at all levels to develop and implement debt-forgiveness initiatives and policies to protect tenants, homeowners, and small businesses during this one-year period.
Halt all evictions immediately! Cancel all rent! Enact debt-forgiveness!
Why is this important?
We are tenants, workers, poor and marginalized people, young and old. We applaud the efforts and initiative taken thus far by Governor Dunleavy, the Alaska Legislature, the Municipality of Anchorage, the Alaska Judiciary, and various utility companies to mitigate the economic and public health impacts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we believe further measures must be taken to properly address the severity of the crisis we are in.
With COVID-19, we are already seeing unprecedented economic impacts around the world and here in Alaska. People are being laid off or experiencing loss of hours or wages as we are being asked to self-isolate during this time, and all schools and non-essential businesses are closing for the safety of our community. If we hope to contain the virus and flatten the curve, no one should lose their home during this crisis. Everyone must have access to food, shelter, electricity, heat, information, and clean water throughout this pandemic.
While COVID-19 created this growing humanitarian crisis, the reality is that many of us have been living in crisis even before this pandemic. Multitudes of tenants are already incapable of paying next month’s rent and bills, and inaction from our elected officials will exacerbate these circumstances. If our government fails to act on the solutions proposed, we call on all tenants to resist evictions, and organize to withhold their rent payments for the entirety of the crisis and use their limited resources on the necessities—such as groceries, prescriptions, diapers, and mental health services—to maintain the well-being of themselves and their communities. We are committed to protecting everyone’s right to stay in their homes and not face evictions as we collectively take on the impacts of this crisis.
How it will be delivered
