By Rebecca Johnson, Katie Hannon Michel, Greg Miao, Tina Yuen, and Sabrina Adler, Change Lab Solutions, April 30, 2020
Over the last several weeks, leaders in communities across the United States have taken steps to protect the health and financial security of their residents by stopping evictions, improving tenant protections, and halting utility shutoffs. Many of these protections are set to expire soon, especially given that some states are allowing businesses to re-open. For communities that have adopted these measures, it’s important to extend and strengthen these protections for residents because it will be many months (or longer) before economic recovery occurs. For communities that haven’t yet adopted such measures, it’s not too late to support health and long-term economic recovery and sustainability for all of their residents by adopting these protections now. The remainder of this blog post provides policy strategies that localities have adopted (or could adopt, depending on their state laws) to support housing stability.
Adopt (or Update) Eviction Moratoriums & Expand Tenant Protections
Providing safe, stable, affordable housing for all has never been more important. Communities that take steps to protect tenants and people without permanent housing can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure better physical and mental health for their residents. However, the economic impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbating previously existing difficulties caused by outdated, harmful housing laws and policies. These combined ills force many Americans — especially people with low income or those who live in communities of color — to make difficult choices between paying rent or paying for other necessities like food and medical care. Almost 1 in 3 people were unable to pay their rent in April, whereas in March, the ratio was less than 1 in 5.
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