LOCAL STORY costs associated with building affordable housing. This is not subsidized housing. Instead, the plan has an incentive and cost savings that they can build into the rent. Another bill I did last year covered rental application fees. It limited the amount a landlord could charge for a rental application. This is particularly useful for seniors or anyone looking for housing. Landlords were charging as much as $200 for an application fee. This bill limits the ability to turn a profit on applications. Housing is in very high demand, so if you had a unit available, you used to be able to take 10 or more applications, in some cases, turning a profit without renting the unit. Now, they have to take the application and rent the apartment more quickly or lose money, creating a fairer process to renters. I was also a cosponsor for the bill that allowed state workers to have collective bargaining rights. This bill was important to me because I grew up in a household that was a union household. Because of that, we had good health benefits, and my dad had a good retirement. He ended up having a good life and a good, stable family life because of the union. I believe there is a lot of benefit for workers to have collective bargaining and the strength of a union to support the needs of the people. The workers of Colorado are the backbone of our economy and what it has grown to be, so we want to make sure we are protecting workers and their families to ensure they’re not being taken advantage of. Representation really matters. It is especially critical now to have trans representation, with all of the attacks on the trans community. Having a diverse group of people with different experiences is always a benefit for any leadership body. The way the government legislates LGBTQ+ issues shapes everything for our community. The perspectives I bring can help shape how the Colorado government interacts with the LGBTQ+ community, and that shapes the way people see and perceive and interact with the community. The [gay panic or transgender panic defense bill] ended up dying in committee after we got back from the COVID recess. I was kind of shocked because the bill didn’t cost any money. There was really no reason we shouldn’t have passed it. I contacted a few of the members on the committee, and they said we are trying to cut costs down because of COVID. I said, “Have you been listening to what people have been saying outside our building?” This was right after the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests were getting started. For me, as a trans person, I have really begun to understand that among the trans community, Black trans women are the most vulnerable. When they were saying Black Lives Matter, it made me think about what that bill does and how it’s important that we protect Black trans women. I wrote a letter to the Senate President and the House Majority Leader to see if there was the ability to bring that bill back. I wanted to bring this bill back because I believe it is a strong statement we could make to the people outside our building, that in addition to the police reform bill, this is a bill that can protect Black lives and, in particular, Black trans lives. We started in the Senate and got it through very quickly, and we only had one “no” vote in the entire assembly. What it really symbolizes is that we value LGBTQ+ people and, with this bill, in particular, trans and Black trans people. We now join 10 other states that have banned this practice. It is symbolic of how we stand with the LGBTQ+ community, that Colorado stands with the LGBTQ+ people. We won’t accept violence against this community. We’re not giving anyone a “get out of jail free” card to inflict violence on the gay and trans community anymore. ■ LIFTED EVICTION FREEZE EXPECTED TO INCREASE HOMELESS COUNT BY DOUG HRDLICKA BRIGGS HARLAN IS A RESIDENT NEAR CHEESEMAN PARK in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. When Harlan goes to the laundry and opens the washer, there is mold inside. When he checks for mail, the need for a key is moot because, like many other doors that stand as barriers, it is damaged. His apartment building has been broken into, mail has been stolen, and other tenants have witnessed lewd behavior and skulking figures. When COVID-19 struck, it took Harlan’s job prompting him to file an unemployment claim that would similarly go the way of the job, and after two months, disappear. In the third month, Harlan tapped into his savings to cover bills, depleting the finances he had saved. Harlan’s landlord offered a differed payment plan, allowing Harlan to miss one month’s rent, but splitting the rent over the following two months. However, going back to work meant taking a pay cut that equaled less than his total bills for the month. The eviction freeze set early in the shutdown has been lifted, and those who’ve defaulted on rent because of layoffs and furloughs, are now at risk of eviction. “I have enough family in the East I could rely on,” said Harlan. “For me, moving home is worst-case. I’m lucky enough that homelessness isn’t on the table, but without them, it would be.” The eviction moratorium began in late March with the idea of freezing all eviction claims and halting nonpayment and late payment fees. The freeze had been extended multiple times, eventually finding its finish on July 13, with concern from nonprofit groups that evictions will skyrocket. “We are doing everything we can to get Coloradans back to work, but this process is gradual and must take into account the evolving public health conditions,” read the latest update on the eviction moratorium provided by Gov. Polis. “Many Coloradans continue to experience a substantial loss of income as a result of business closures and layoffs, hindering their ability to keep up with their rent or mortgage payments through no fault of their own.” The COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project was formed in March as a resource for people who have endured eviction and homelessness as a result of COVID-19. They have been anticipating the day the moratorium ends. The defense project released a study projecting that evictions will escalate to nearly 700,000 by December. According to the study, In the nine weeks since the COVID-19 state of emergency declaration, more ore than 495,000 Coloradans have filed for unemployment insurance. In the coming months, many of these Colorado renters will run out of money, and when renters run out of money, they are at risk of eviction. The study also states that by September 2020. the accumulated renters’ debt will reach 765,000,000 dollars. Also noting that marginalized members of the communities being the most likely to be affected by the end of the moratorium. “Communities of color, undocumented residents, and lowincome workers will be especially vulnerable to evictions caused by the COVID-19 emergency,” the study says. The study predicts evictions will come in three waves, with the first having begun illegally and happening to the vulnerable and financially insecure, and finishing in early to mid-winter. Although the predictions of a bleak future in housing are looming for many people, the Colorado Apartment Association tells of eviction rates at a low of 3 percent of the normal 3000 that occur each month. But that 3 percent happened during the freeze, and people like Chris Gee, also a resident of Capitol Hill, has experienced such a fate after being laid off and unable to make rent. “I have not been evicted yet; although this will most likely happen in a few weeks. My landlord is unwilling to work with me regarding a payment plan or waiting for TRUA (Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance). I was never late on rent before,” said Gee. Gee has underlining health issues that put him at high risk, and he is waiting on unemployment to come in while he looks for work. His landlord, however, has been unwilling to accommodate. “He essentially stated that I should be able to figure out how DEMONSTRATORS SHOUT AND DISPLAY SIGNS OF PROTEST WHILE DRIVING OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE DEMANDING THE CANCELATION OF RENT PAYMENTS, FOLLOWING MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER’S STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION DUE TO THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN WASHINGTON. CREDIT: REUTERS/TOM BRENNER to and tried to probe into my finances. [He] told me, ‘where there’s a will there’s a way,’” said Gee. ■ August 2020 DENVER VOICE 9
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