Jackson, MS – Today, the Supreme Court struck down the eviction moratorium. Vangela M. Wade, the president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice – which operates the state’s only COVID-19 eviction hotline – issued the following statement in response.

“Ending the eviction moratorium in the midst of a deadly pandemic is dangerously irresponsible. Across the country, COVID-19 is hospitalizing and killing more and more people. The situation is particularly grim here in Mississippi, where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the nation. To strip people of basic shelter now is the epitome of poor policy.

“Even more devastatingly, states have the funds to stop evictions. But they haven’t distributed it quickly enough. Now, evictions will likely ensue in droves. In Mississippi – where tenants are rushed into court and onto the streets faster than any other state in the nation – thousands of people are at risk of being kicked onto the curb, destroying their livelihoods.

“Here at the Mississippi Center for Justice, we will continue to work to stop as many evictions as we can. We won’t stop fighting until our state ensures tenants justice.”

For more information about MCJ’s eviction hotline, click here.