CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Editor's Note: This story originally reported Gov. Cooper's Executive Order 220 extended North Carolina's eviction moratorium. Cooper's request to extend the moratorium to align with the CDC's national moratorium was denied by the Council of State on June 29. North Carolina's eviction moratorium ends Thursday, July 1.
North Carolina remains in a State of Emergency amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a new COVID-19 executive order on June 11, including public health measures like requiring masks in certain public settings and health care facilities. The executive order also included flexibility for those on unemployment.
The executive order did not extend the state's eviction moratorium. Cooper's request to extend the moratorium through the end of July to align with the CDC's national moratorium was denied by the Republican-led Council of State on June 29.
For some renters, a moratorium extension may sound like good news -- but once it's lifted, people will still have to pay back their rent, and some renters won't be able to pay.
More than 200,000 renter households in North Carolina are behind on rent, according to a recent analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau Pulse Survey.
While people struggle to keep a roof over their heads and landlords try to keep their businesses afloat, experts fear a wave of evictions is on the horizon.
"The problem is that while it's a good move from a public health standpoint, renters are falling further and further behind on their rent, this means that landlords aren't receiving their rent, which means in many cases they can't pay their mortgage," Executive Director of the Global Financial Market Center at the Duke University School of Law Lee Reiners said.
Right now, the city is providing pandemic relief for rent mortgages, and utilities, but that help is only temporary. It's called Ramp Clt and according to its website, applications close June 15.
"I just think of all the people who are going to be homeless and on the street with no options," Action NC advocate Jessica Moreno said.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.