Eastern Iowa non-profits seeing demand for services increasing after eviction moratorium expired

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Houses into Homes in Coralville say the demand for its help nearly tripled since the eviction moratorium expired at the end of July.

The nonprofit helps furnish homes for people transitioning out of homelessness. Leaders said some people on their waiting list don’t have a bed to sleep on. They add their clients need help because of either the eviction moratorium ending or some landlords deciding not to renew leases.

“It makes me want to do more,” Lucy Barker, with Houses into Homes, said. “We can you know with donations from the community, we can fill this need. We also need volunteers who can help us make the deliveries.”

“Folks have been evicted, even though circumstances have not changed for a lot,” Salina McCarty, with Houses into Homes, said. “We have people whose kids are too young to have the vaccine. So they can’t necessarily send their kids to school, they can’t work in public places where they’re encountering the virus. So even though circumstances haven’t changed much for some families, they don’t have the eviction moratorium to keep them safe.”

Central Furniture Rescue in Cedar Rapids helped them out by donating beds on Friday. They are also in need of donations.

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