No Flood of Eviction Cases Yet
Protestors gathered against paying any rent in 2020. Many expected a flood of eviction filings after the state moratorium ended Sunday.
On the first day for landlords to file eviction actions against tenants in court Monday, it doesn’t appear there was a giant flood of cases filed around the state.
Coles County had 16 eviction cases filed Monday. DuPage County, with a million residents, had just six. Madison County had three and St. Clair County had four filings. The Circuit Clerk in Rock Island County says filings have been “very light.”
It appears, though, there are numerous cases that were likely on hold around the state. Macon County Clerk Sherry Doty says over 260 eviction cases have been filed so far this calendar year, though just one was filed as of Monday afternoon. While evictions could move forward if income thresholds weren’t met or tenants were unwilling to seek state assistance, many typical cases hadn’t proceeded while the moratorium was in place.
"Our goal is to fund as many eligible households as possible as quickly as possible while being responsible stewards of these federal funds,” Illinois Housing Development Agency Executive Director Kristin Faust said Friday in a news release. “Our staff is reaching out directly to renters and landlords to collect any missing information and we remain committed to giving every household the time and support they need to complete their application."
Millions of state supported payments for landlords have been handed out thus far, though, there have been complaints about slow payments. Some charitable organizations, like Salvation Army in Chicago, have been handing out emergency rental assistance.
The process to remove a resident from a home requires a judge’s ruling and enforcement from a county sheriff’s office before action is taken, so evictions aren’t immediate.
