As the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. continues to grow, the ripple effects of the pandemic are being felt more and more widely.
For the millions of people who have lost work as a result, rent — and the possibility of eviction — is a terrifying prospect. Hasan Minhaj explored this issue last month on Patriot Act, and now John Oliver has given it the Last Week Tonight treatment, covering everything from America's (already very bad) lack of affordable housing to the 23 states that currently have no state-level eviction protections.
Oliver also touches on the landlords who've decided to step in to help tenants — as well as the many who are simply telling renters they should have been better prepared.
"Why are renters consistently the only ones being told that they should have planned better?" he asks. "It's important to remember everyone is in this crisis together right now — and this isn't just a rainy day, it's the great flood. And one reason no-one has an umbrella is 'cuz it's not safe to reopen the fucking umbrella factory yet."
Ultimately, Oliver says everybody deserves the basic stability of shelter.
"If you are in a position where you've begun to despise the house you've been shut inside for the past three-and-a-half months, it is worth remembering the only thing worse than knowing you're going to spend another day stuck under the same roof, is not knowing that," he says.
"And while there are clearly no perfect options here, the very worst thing that we can do right now is nothing. Because every day we fail to act is a day that we're compounding another future crisis for millions of vulnerable renters and their communities."
Topics John Oliver Last Week Tonight COVID-19
