States Pressured by White House to Expedite Rent Aid Efforts

The Biden administration’s decision to give renters affected by the worsening pandemic a two-month eviction reprieve risks pushing a housing crisis into the fall if states fail to accelerate distribution of billions in rent relief.

State and local governments nationally have disbursed less than 10 percent of the $47 billion in federal rent aid in the pipeline and now have until Oct. 3 to streamline bureaucracies, hire contractors, improve technology and publicize programs under the order issued Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Several states, such as Oregon and Maryland, say they have made significant progress in ...