Michael Coates chose to buy a generator to keep his insulin cold rather than pay rent. His landlord evicted him. Hundreds more fear they could face the same fate.

Michael Coates chose to buy a generator to keep his insulin cold rather than pay rent. His landlord evicted him. Hundreds more fear they could face the same fate.
“Recent letters and news reports have shown clearly that for relief after the flooding, public housing residents in Asheville have more problems and got dumped on, evicted and neglected by the city again.”
Evictions in Asheville have returned to pre-pandemic levels, and many evictions begin when a tenant has raised concerns about housing conditions, says David Bartholomew, the nonprofit’s homelessness prevention services director.
On Tuesday, Feb. 2., the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on accepting a U.S. Department of the Treasury grant for emergency rental assistance. the funds would support households financially hurt by the pandemic with rent, utilities and and other expenses related to housing.
Writer Molly Horak reflects on her 2020 reporting.
Gov. Roy Cooper said the order would clear up legal confusion about whether an existing moratorium, issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, covered tenants who live outside of federally subsidized housing.
By the numbers, the 2,5855 COVID-19 cases reported Aug. 29 marked North Carolina’s highest daily increase to date. But the figure was inflated by approximately 1,000 cases, tested over the first half of August, that had previously gone unreported to NCDHHS by LabCorp.
The looming eviction crisis has threatened renters for months, teasing tenants with temporary relief measures that end just when cash-strapped residents need them the most. In North Carolina, up to 42% of households are at risk of eviction.
A last-minute decision to temporarily stay all eviction proceedings grants a momentary reprieve for renters unsure where their next paycheck will come from. But tenants fear they may lose their housing when courts resume hearing eviction cases at the end of June.