OMAHA- Moratoriums helped cut evictions in Nebraska by almost half during the pandemic, but thousands of Nebraskans still lost their rental homes. This includes about 60 people who should have been protected by federal pandemic law.

“We found at least 60 cases where a property should have been covered by the CARES Act,” said Pierce Greenberg, a Creighton assistant professor. “That’s important because the purpose of that moratorium was to prevent that sort of thing from happening. ... It underscores some of the imbalances within eviction court.’”

There has been a 45% decrease in evictions in the state. This can be attributed to the federal restrictions on evictions and assistance from the government and nonprofit groups. However, the researchers warn that there could be a significant rise in evictions could occur when federal restrictions expire June 30. Eviction filings peaked in August after the federal moratorium expired and before the CDC imposed restrictions.

The study of 2020 evictions also found that 74% of evictions occurred in Douglas and Lancaster Counties. 1/5 of all eviction filings in the state were in North Omaha while renters in North Omaha are still more likely to be evicted than anyone else in the state. Researchers in this study hope the studies will inform the Legislature and urge them to pass bills such as LB419. LB419 would create a right to publicly supported counsel for people facing eviction, paid for by county governments with a $50 filing fee.

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