Protesters demonstrate during a “No Evictions, No Police” national day of action against law enforcement who forcibly remove people from homes on September 1, 2020, in New York City. | Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

The order may have headed off — or at least delayed — a pandemic eviction crisis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a four-month ban on evictions for most renters Tuesday, allowing some people who are unable to pay rent to stay in their current housing through the end of the year.

It’s a huge step that could help ward off a major homelessness crisis in America. But it’s also one that Democrats and housing advocates say is avoiding the root problem, which Congress could solve by passing a second round of pandemic-related financial stimulus, and one that could face significant legal challenges, to boot.

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