STORM. THERE’S DIFFICULT ECONOMIC RISING RENT, LOW WAGES AND A LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND AT THE SAME TIME, A LOT OF THE FINANCIAL AID THAT RENTERS HAVE BEEN RELYING FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS IS DRYING UP. AND AFTER THEY MOVED ME TO ANOTHER APARTMENT, THEY FILED EVICTION ON A TYPICAL DAY. ABOUT 125 TO 150 PEOPLE ARE ON THE DOCKET IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY. EVICTION COURT. VERY, VERY STRESSFUL ON THIS DAY. JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING 306 EVICTION CASES WENT IN FRONT OF A JUDGE. TODAY, THE EVICTION COURT IS A RATHER LARGE DOCKET. PATRICK O’KANE IS THE SENIOR COURT COORDINATOR FOR COMMUNITY CARES PARTNERS, AN ORGANIZATION AND HELPING TO DISTRIBUTE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN COVID RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO THOUSANDS OF OKLAHOMANS. THE STATE A LITTLE OVER 250 MILLION TO DISTRIBUTE STATEWIDE THE NEED FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE IS GREAT. BUT THAT MONEY IS RUNNING OUT FAST. APPLICATIONS CLOSED AT THE END OF AUGUST AND OKEN SAYS FOUR PEOPLE IN THIS COURTROOM. THERE’S NOW NOT A LOT OF HELP OUT THERE. I’VE CALLED ALL AROUND. NOBODY HAS FUNDING. I DON’T KNOW. KATHLEEN BASQUE IS OF THE RENTERS ON THE DOCKET. SHE SAYS SHE STOPPED PAYING RENT BECAUSE HER LANDLORD REFUSED TO FIX DAMAGES IN HER PLACE. KATHLEEN SAYS AFTER MONTHS OF COMPLAINING, SHE WAS TOLD SHE COULD MOVE TO A DIFFERENT UNIT. BUT WAS GIVEN A NOTICE OF EVICTION ONE WEEK LATER. YOU KNOW, WE’LL HAVE TO TRY TO GO SOMEWHERE. YOU KNOW ME, MY DAUGHTER MY GRANDSON. THERE IS NO ONE REASON WHY PEOPLE END UP HERE. BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE ENDING UP IN THIS COURTROOM THIS YEAR. EVICTION FILINGS ARE UP 1% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, UP 88% COMPARED TO 2020. BUT EVICTION FILINGS ARE ALSO UP FROM BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, UP 9% FROM 2019 AND UP 30% COMPARED TO 2018. BUT EACH ONE OF THESE EVICTION FILINGS HAS, A STORY AND A FACE. YOU YOU WOULD THINK THAT NEARING THE HOLIDAYS THAT LANDLORDS WOULD GIVE GRACE. AND IT’S JUST NOT HAPPENING. HUNTER MCCLUNG JUST HAD A BABY IN AUGUST, HER FIRST. SAYS SHE FACED A DIFFICULT CHOICE. SO MANY NEW PARENTS HAVE TO MAKE STAY HOME AND CARE FOR HIM OR STAY AT WORK AND PAY FOR CHILDCARE, WHICH HUNTER SAYS WOULD NOT LEAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO LIVE ON. I JUST FEEL LIKE I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN DOING SOMETHING TO MONEY, BUT EVEN IF I DID THAT, I WOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY SOMEBODY TO WATCH HIM AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE IT. IT WAS AND IT WAS. WELL, WITH NEW RELIEF, SHE STAYED HOME AND RECEIVED AN EVICTION NOTICE AFTER SHE SAYS SHE DID NOT PAY THE PREVIOUS MONTH’S RENT. BUT IT’S OKAY FOR A EVICTED. RIGHT NOW, THERE’S NO CLEAR SIGNS THAT THIS IS TRAILING OFF. SABINE BROWN WITH THE OKLAHOMA POLICY, SAYS THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS LEADING EVICTIONS TO SKYROCKET FROM OVERALL INFLATION TO RISING PRICES, UP 32% YEAR OVER YEAR IN OKLAHOMA CITY, ACCORDING TO REDFIN TO THE US SUPREME, ENDING THE COVID EVICTION MORATORIUM AUGUST. JUST AS THE COVID RELIEF MONEY DRIED UP, BROWN SAYS IT’S BEEN A PERFECT STORM. ONE THAT IS IMPACTING FAMILIES. A MAJOR PROBLEM IS JUST THAT WE HAVE A SEVERE LACK OF AFFORDABLE IN OKLAHOMA AND OKLAHOMA AND WE NEED MORE THAN 71,000 ADDITIONAL RENTAL OR HOMES OR APARTMENTS FOR EXTREMELY LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. SO THERE’S JUST NO PLACE FOR FOLKS TO GO. BROWN SAYS THE CURRENT COST OF LIVING ALSO NOT IN LINE WITH CURRENT WAGES. SHE SAYS THAT’S TRUE FOR A LOT OF WORKERS, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE MAKING MINIMUM WAGE IS NOT RISEN SINCE 2009. SO A MINIMUM WAGE WORKER WOULD HAVE TO WORK 92 HOURS PER WEEK TO EARN TWO BEDROOM RENTAL IN OKLAHOMA. THAT’S MORE THAN TWO FULL TIME JOBS. BROWN SAYS EVEN IF A JUDGE DECLINES TO SIGN OFF ON AN EVICTION, THE EVICTION ITSELF CAN STAY ON A RENTER’S, MAKING IT HARDER FOR THEM TO FIND QUALITY APARTMENTS AND HOMES IN THE FUTURE. AND WHILE EVEN TENANT ADVOCATES SAY MANY OF THESE EVICTIONS ARE LEGITIMATE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT DOING THE THINGS THEY NEED TO DO TO EARN MONEY AND PAY RENT, THEY STRESS THAT A GREAT NUMBER OF THEM ARE EXTREMELY HARD IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS AND STILL FIND THEMSELVES HERE IN A COURTROOM. EVICTION. TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING, THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEIR PROBABLY BEST DAYS. AND WE TRYING TO MAKE IT AS BEST AS WE CAN FOR THEM. I WAS VERY SHOCKED WHEN I WALKED IN THERE. MEAN ALL THE PEOPLE THAT IS SAD. THAT IS VERY SAD THAT THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE GETTING PUT OUT OF THEIR HOMES. I MENTIONED THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THERE TONIGHT AT 10:00. WE ARE DIVING DEEPER INTO THAT PROBLEM THAT EVEN WITH IS GIVEN A SECTION EIGHT HOUSING VOUCHER. IT’S INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO FIND AN OPEN APARTMENT THAT WILL TAKE THE VOUCHER. IN FACT, WE’RE GOING TO MEET ONE WOMAN WHO’S BE