Many Americans have been receiving financial assistance through state and federal unemployment payments. But the federal assistance of $600 a week ended in late July. Activists say that millions of people are in danger of not being able to pay their rent. Housing rights supporters are calling for rent aid and an extension of eviction prevention measures. Gina Chiala heads the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom. The group provides legal advice about housing to poor workers in Kansas City, Missouri. Chiala said the federal government should find permanent ways to deal with housing problems for the poor. Chiala and other housing activists want property owners to work with their tenants to negotiate lower payments when possible. About 40 percent of the nation’s rental properties are owned by independent landlords. Many cannot take the losses from unpaid rent.