A group of North Dakota labor, housing and other nonprofit organizations has called on the governor to place a moratorium on housing evictions and a freeze on foreclosures to enable people to maintain stable housing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The order would end 90 days after the pandemic emergency is declared over, allowing renters time to return to work before they’re at risk of eviction, the organizations stated. There would be no late fees for homeowners or renters who are unable to pay during the moratorium and freeze and no reporting to credit agencies for failure to pay.

In a letter to Gov. Doug Burgum, the groups said an executive order is necessary because housing has become a major issue in light of the impact of business shutdowns and layoffs or furloughs of workers.

The coalition cited Job Service North Dakota numbers showing 14,000 unemployment applications during a recent nine-day period. The figure makes up more than 3% of the state’s civilian workforce, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The North Dakota Supreme Court recently suspended all housing evictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, at a news conference Monday, the groups stated there are exceptions that still can put renters at risk. Nor does a federal order apply to tenants who don’t receive federal housing assistance, they said.

“We are asking Governor Burgum to act on this issue now because North Dakotans deserve certainty,” said Dane DeKrey with the ACLU of North Dakota. “The efforts that have happened so far are not enough. North Dakotans deserve more.”

“We want people who are already housed to stay housed,” said Cody Schuler with the Fargo-Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness. “It’s our best way to advance our mission to end homelessness at this time.”

Organizations also advocate for stable housing to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread that comes when evicted residents have no safe place to go or move into crowded quarters with family or friends. They noted multiple other states, counties, cities and judicial districts across the county have issued directives to suspend evictions during the COVID-19 crisis.

The letter to the governor was signed by the labor councils of Northern Plains United, Missouri Slope Central, and Northern Valley, FM Coalition to End Homelessness, High Plains Fair Housing Center, North Dakota United, the ACLU of North Dakota, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota AFL-CIO and the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition.

Last week, Rep. Mary Schneider,D-Fargo, sent a letter to the governor’s office, urging him to sign an executive order temporarily halting evictions, foreclosures, utility shut-offs, and related late fees and interest.