Thousands of Kansans face threat of eviction even as pandemic exposes housing crisis

More than 27,000 Kansans are behind on their rent and 14,600 renters are at risk of eviction.

By

State News

September 8, 2021 - 9:31 AM

Eviction moratoriums provided temporary relief for many Kansans, but some, like Sheena Mooney, found themselves without a home during the pandemic. Photo by (SHELTON BROWN/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Sheena Mooney has spent the past year without a job or a safety net living in a trailer park a few miles from Washburn.

Mooney lost her job at Frito-Lay in March 2020, a job she enjoyed, fell behind on her rent and was evicted that August. She applied for unemployment but did not qualify, and her eviction was subsequently approved between May 26, 2020, when the state’s eviction moratorium expired, and Aug. 17, 2020, when Gov. Laura Kelly’s new order went into effect.

“I don’t like telling people my business, you know. This was something that needed to be heard,” Mooney said. “How did this happen? How was I able to fall through the cracks and get no help?”

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