TX SUPREME COURT EXTENDS EVICTION RELIEF

  

The Texas Supreme Court has extended its emergency eviction relief program for tenants behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The program has been extended through at least March 15, postponing the program’s expiration date by a month and a half.

The move comes after the US Congress passed a stimulus bill earlier this week, extending the federal moratorium on evictions through the end of January.

The state created the Texas Eviction Diversion Program earlier this fall with the help of $171 million in CARES Act funding, the vast majority designated for rental assistance.

The federal moratorium doesn’t prevent all evictions. Some local authorities across the state have been more aggressive in limiting evictions than others.

Some housing advocates said the extension doesn’t go far enough to address the large number of struggling renters, even as the federal government extended its eviction moratorium.