Dear friends and neighbors,

On March 20th, a letter signed by 29 organizations was delivered to Mayor Jean Stothert, the Omaha City Council, the Douglas County Board, the Douglas County Sheriff, and Judge Lohaus in Douglas County calling on our community leaders to take immediate action to prevent evictions during this crisis.

Since all are being asked to remain in our homes to protect community health, it is critical that our leaders take action to ensure members of our community have homes in which to remain. As more workers are unable to safely go to work and with many low-income workers lacking access to any paid sick leave, this pandemic will directly impede the ability of our community’s residents to work and provide for their families. With disruptions in regular sources of income resulting from this crisis, this public health emergency will quickly become an economic one. In addition, evictions and resulting homelessness will be counterproductive to public health efforts to contain the virus and will dramatically impact the risks and spread of COVID-19.

With an average of 4,823 eviction actions filed annually in Douglas County – or approximately 92 per week – and 40 eviction hearings scheduled in Douglas County Courtroom 20 this Friday, March 20 alone, we must take immediate policy action to get ahead of the economic fallout and prevent homelessness during this critical time.

I join the undersigned organizations in urging our community to take decisive action to protect the safety and stability of our citizens by enacting an eviction moratorium. I am committed to working with all state and local leaders on this effort during this extraordinary time of crisis for our community and our state.

Neighbors, please assist in this effort by contacting your city leaders, as well as the governor, and asking them to place a moratorium on evictions.

Many thanks,
Meg

Click to read the letter from the following 29 community organizations: 

• Coalition for a Strong Nebraska
• College Possible
• COVID-19 Community Response Task Force
• Family Housing Advisory Services
• Habitat for Humanity of Omaha
• Heartland Workers Center
• I Be Black Girl
• League of Women Voters Greater Omaha
• Legal Aid of Nebraska Metro Area
• Continuum of Care for the Homeless
• Nebraska Appleseed
• Nebraska Civic Engagement Table
• Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
• Nebraska Housing Developers Association
• New Leaders Council Omaha
• North Omaha Neighborhood Alliance
• Omaha Together One Community
• Planned Parenthood North Central States
• Policy, Research & Innovation
• Restoring Dignity
• Rise
• South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance
• Spark CDI
• Survivors Rising
• Together
• University of Nebraska- College of Law, Civil Clinical Law Program, Tenants’ Rights Project
• Voices for Children in Nebraska
• Women’s Fund of Omaha
• Young Black & Influential