Gov. Kim Reynolds lets foreclosure and eviction moratorium expire

JOHNSTON - Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she will not extend a moratorium on home foreclosures and rental evictions and will instead establish a program to help Iowans who have lost income to pay their mortgage or rent.

Reynolds had ordered a temporary halt on foreclosures and evictions as part of her administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The move was to offset the ordered closures of many Iowa businesses, which pushed unemployment levels to record highs. That order will expire at the end of Wednesday.

Reynolds said instead her administration will create a program that will assist Iowans who have lost income due to the pandemic and may be unable to pay their mortgage or rent.

The program will be funded by federal money designed for pandemic response efforts and administered by the Iowa Finance Authority, the agency that operates housing assistance programs.

Reynolds said plans are being finalized and that she anticipates the program will be operating by the end of this week.

Monday is the first day of the next month, when many mortgage and rent payments will be due.

'We'll take a look at the numbers and take a look at who qualifies, then we'll set aside the appropriate amount of funding to meet the needs of Iowans during this really difficult time,” Reynolds said.

'We're just changing the parameters in which we're providing the assurance that individuals aren't thrown out of their homes in these really difficult times.”

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