CALL CONGRESS:
PASS THE
RENT + MORTGAGE
CANCELLATION ACT!
On April 17, Representative Ilhan Omar introduced HR 6515: the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, which would enact a national rent and mortgage suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. You can read our breakdown of the bill and why we support it here.
Congress needs to hear from us immediately so that it gets fully included in the upcoming stimulus package. Calling only takes a few minutes – grab your phone and get started.
1. Practice reading the script below out loud. Add in details about who you are and what’s important to you. (Or, ditch the script and write your own message!)
2. Grab your phone, if it isn’t already nearby.
3. Fill out the form to the right.
4. Click the ‘Make the Call’ button.
5. Answer the phone when it rings. You’ll first hear a recorded message about the bill, then your call will be patched through to your Representative’s office phone.
6. Leave your message with a staff member, or leave a voicemail if no one picks up.
- An eviction moratorium is a fine start, but it’s not a solution. Moratorium periods will end, and tenants like me will face a pile of debt and mass evictions. We must cancel rent, fees, and debt entirely.
- As the rollout of $1,200 stimulus checks from the CARES Act shows, relief policies that call for rental assistance for individuals are unlikely to reach the people who need them the most. A full and universal rent cancellation is the only policy solution that matches the scope of the problem and effectively reaches a huge swath of people at risk of homelessness.
SAMPLE SCRIPT
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD]. I am asking you to co-sponsor HR 6515: Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, and that you fight to cancel rents and mortgages in the next stimulus package.
Rent and mortgage cancellation is the only policy that is universally inclusive, prevents debt traps, and ensures tenants’ rights are protected when their landlord requests relief funds. Any other option would worsen the structural problems in our profit-driven housing system.
ADD YOUR PERSONAL STORY
— I was laid off because of coronavirus, and can’t afford rent…
— My landlord threatened to evict me…
— My landlord raised rent prices once the outbreak started…
1. Practice reading the script below out loud. Add in details about who you are and what’s important to you. (Or, ditch the script and write your own message!)
2. Grab your phone, if it isn’t already nearby.
3. Fill out the form to the right.
4. Click the ‘Make the Call’ button.
5. Answer the phone when it rings. You’ll first hear a recorded message about the bill, then your call will be patched through to your Representative’s office phone.
6. Leave your message with a staff member, or leave a voicemail if no one picks up.
- An eviction moratorium is a fine start, but it’s not a solution. Moratorium periods will end, and tenants like me will face a pile of debt and mass evictions. We must cancel rent, fees, and debt entirely.
- As the rollout of $1,200 stimulus checks from the CARES Act shows, relief policies that call for rental assistance for individuals are unlikely to reach the people who need them the most. A full and universal rent cancellation is the only policy solution that matches the scope of the problem and effectively reaches a huge swath of people at risk of homelessness.
SAMPLE SCRIPT
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD]. I am asking you to co-sponsor HR 6515: Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, and that you fight to cancel rents and mortgages in the next stimulus package.
Rent and mortgage cancellation is the only policy that is universally inclusive, prevents debt traps, and ensures tenants’ rights are protected when their landlord requests relief funds. Any other option would worsen the structural problems in our profit-driven housing system.
ADD YOUR PERSONAL STORY
— I was laid off because of coronavirus, and am forced to choose between rent and…
— My landlord threatened to evict me…
— My landlord raised rent prices once the outbreak started…