Iowa evictions predicted to break records in 2022

Iowa Legal Aid expects evictions to near record levels this year as tenants find themselves without safety nets, due to the loss of emergency COVID-19 aid.

Driving the news: The state is on track to reach 17,600 evictions in 2022, Nick Smithberg, president of the legal nonprofit that helps low-income Iowans, told Axios.

State of play: Back in 2019, Iowa evictions reached a record of more than 18,000. But numbers dampened in 2020 and 2021 as a federal eviction moratorium and pandemic aid, like rental assistance, helped keep people in their homes. That's ending now, however.

• "The numbers are correcting, if you will," Smithberg said of this year's estimates.

What's happening: Iowa Legal Aid recently received a $650,000 grant from Wells Fargo, which they plan on using to bolster their eviction prevention program that started during the pandemic.

• The program aims to help landlords and tenants come to an agreement before an eviction notice is posted.
• It also funds six "help desks" at county courthouses around the state, including in Polk County. People who have an eviction hearing can get assistance on-site from a lawyer there.

What they're saying: It's important to look at evictions as a "symptom rather than a disease," Smithberg said.

• People who don't pay their rent are typically dealing with larger issues, like health complications, disabilities, domestic violence or paying child support.
• "It's a holistic problem," Smithberg said.