HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — With no progress made by Congress on Monday, the Government Shutdown is dragging on another day. As the shutdown continues, it means government workers are working without pay or are furloughed.
Although it’s only one week into the shutdown, some people may already be feeling financial stress.
While government workers aren’t getting paid, their bills are still due. For most people, their largest bill is their rent or mortgage.
Huntsville area attorney Sarah Taggart specializes in landlord and eviction law. She told News 19 that an eviction can happen quickly.
“The eviction process is a very short process,” she said.
She said missing one month of rent can turn into one big mess.
While October rent has likely already been paid, she says, if you’re a government worker impacted by the shutdown and worried about missing a paycheck, now is the time to plan ahead.
“There is aid available, but you want to start researching that aid and applying for that aid now,” Taggart said.
She said the application and interview process for aid and housing grants can be lengthy, so anyone who is seriously impacted to start looking now.
On the flip side, she said landlords should also be proactive.
“If you’re a landlord and you know that your tenant is a government employee or might be affected by the government shutdown, you need to reach out to see if your tenant is proactively working on plans to see if you can work cooperatively with them, on plans to try and make sure that November’s rent gets paid,” she said.
Like most people, Taggart said she hopes the Government Shutdown will end sooner rather than later. However, she remembers the 2019 shutdown that lasted more than a month.
“[In 2019] We really saw direct connection between the shutdown and evictions because of the length of that shutdown,” she said.
With some government workers furloughed and others still working, but without a paycheck, she said a sudden financial hardship could happen to anyone.
“People don’t recognize the human cost of these government shutdowns, that this is impacting your neighbor,” she said. “We all have bills, and if you suddenly have one portion of income suspended, any family would suffer for that.”
Taggart recommends people call 2-1-1 for help finding local assistance. She also said Huntsville Housing Helps has links to more resources.
You can click here to find other financial assistance programs offering help for impacted workers.
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