A multitude of Pennsylvania families could be ousted from their homes within weeks if federal eviction protections expire.

A federal order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has prevented eviction cases from going forward against tenants in the state who cannot afford rent during the pandemic.

If the CDC does not extend the order or if Congress fails to agree on another pandemic relief measure that includes protections, the ban will expire in January and legions of tenants could be forced from their dwellings.

Some 240,000 Pennsylvania families — including about one in six renters — face potential eviction, according to the nonprofit Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, an advocacy group.

Several state eviction bans during the pandemic protected renters until the CDC protections took effect in September. It keeps people in their homes and prevents crowding in shelters and avoids pushing extended families into close quarters. The order expires at the end of the month.

Philadelphia City Council recognized the danger last week and approved an amendment to extend the city’s eviction diversion program. It requires landlords and tenants to participate in mediation prior to legal eviction proceedings. Housing advocates say the process benefits tenants and landlords and often produces mutually approved results.

Gov. Tom Wolf issued an executive order earlier this year protecting renters from evictions, but he may lack the legal authority to order a new moratorium. If further federal relief is not approved the Legislature should make it a priority in the new year to extend the eviction ban for a limited period.

State officials must be prepared to avert a potential humanitarian crisis from mass evictions, which could quickly magnify the pandemic’s worsening public health crisis.

— The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre (TNS)