More than 12 million Americans who rent homes that are financed by the federal government are losing pandemic-related protection against eviction next month, according to a Social Explorer analysis of 2014-18 American Community Survey data.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in late March, banned evictions in housing units with federally backed mortgages until July 31. Because millions of Americans are struggling in the wake of record postwar unemployment levels, almost 26 million people expect to have difficulty paying rent in September, according to some estimates.

The elapsed moratorium is likely to hit minority communities especially hard. Only 28 percent of whites rent. Meanwhile, more than 53 percent of Hispanics and about 58 percent of blacks are renters. The continued economic crisis and pandemic mean that without continued government assistance, it's likely there will be a "tsunami of evictions and a spike in homelessness," one expert said.

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Author: Frank Bass