San Antonio Housing Authority to pause evictions for noncriminal reasons amid coronavirus pandemic

San Antonio Housing Authority will not evict low-income residents unable to pay their rent in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the agency has announced.

Residents will not be evicted for noncriminal activity or lease violations for the outbreak’s duration effective Monday, the agency said in a statement on its website.

“At the San Antonio Housing Authority, we prioritize the health and safety of our communities and want to ensure the well-being of our residents and staff,” the agency said.

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The decision comes in the wake of similar moves by CPS Energy and San Antonio Water System. Both city-owned utilities will pause the practice of disconnecting services for residents who fail to pay their water and energy bills.

District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño has called for a countywide moratorium on evictions amid the pandemic, framing it as a safety net for the city’s renters, which make up about half of the city’s households.

“Even if we are not individually high-risk with the prospect of losing our homes, we are still capable of protecting our neighbors from homelessness in the face of an unprecedented health emergency,” Treviño said in a letter.

San Antonio officials have confirmed two local cases of COVID-19 unrelated to the evacuees at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Both cases are connected to out-of-state travel.