IHCDA COVID-19 update: A message from Jake

IHCDA COVID-19 update: A message from Jake

Last week, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb introduced Back On Track Indiana, a five-stage plan to safely open the economy and remain vigilant about protecting Hoosiers’ health and well-being. This new roadmap provides details on how we as a state will safely reopen and get “back on track”. While the Stay at Home expired on May 1^st, the Governor is encouraging all Hoosiers to continue following CDC and ISDH guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Governor also extended the public health disaster emergency to June 4^th by signing into law Executive Order 20-25. This Executive Order effectively extended the moratorium on the initiation of eviction and foreclosure actions (Executive Order 20-06) to June 4^th as well.

In addition to what is going on at the state level, we are closely monitoring what is happening at the federal level as well. The federal eviction moratorium covers rental properties that receive federal assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Treasury (through housing built using the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program).

The federal moratorium, which lasts until July 24^th, also extends to properties with a federally backed mortgage loan, as well as properties with a federally backed multifamily mortgage loan. Information about this can be found in a brochure released by HUD.

Despite these protections, we are aware that residents are still being threatened with eviction and being harassed by landlords and property managers. I encourage those individuals to contact the Indiana Attorney General’s office if they are being threatened with eviction and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission if they are facing any sort of harassment or discrimination.

Please continue to reach out to us through our normal office phone and e-mail contacts if we can be of any assistance to you or your organization. I am available directly by email at jsipe@ihcda.in.gov or by phone at 317-233-1811.

J. Jacob Sipe
Executive Director