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Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was grappling with a housing crisis that left too many low-income and working Americans without adequate access to a safe, affordable roof over their heads. Since 2013, more than 80 percent of the country’s most populous regions have become less affordable for renters, a trend disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic households. Now, two years into the pandemic, the health and economic toll of COVID-19 has only exacerbated the systemic and structural inequalities that underlie the country’s ongoing housing crisis.

As of January 2021, an estimated 15 million adults faced housing insecurity, with people of color and people with disabilities being over-represented in this cohort. Furthermore, from January 2021 to March 2021, households with children were significantly more likely to be in arrears on rent than households without children. Additionally, in 2022, as prices of basic goods have risen sharply, rents have also risen – by as much as 40 percent in metropolitan areas. Faced with limited safe and affordable housing options, low-income people are forced to live in underserved neighborhoods with limited economic opportunities and social support, fueling a cycle of poverty. Likewise, other disadvantaged communities – such as single parents, people with disabilities, older people and LGBTQI+ people – are feeling the strain.

For its part, the Biden administration has been helping people and communities struggling with home insecurity weather the worst of the pandemic and growing housing shortage. This article examines how the government’s public housing investments have helped keep millions of Americans in their homes during the pandemic, while highlighting the policy solutions and interventions needed to achieve equitable housing outcomes for all.

The ongoing housing crisis: By the numbers

80%

Percentage of the country’s most populous regions that have become less affordable for renters since 2013

15M

Number of tenants facing housing insecurity in January 2021

40%

Rent increase in Portland, Oregon in 2022, with similar rent increases in other metro areas across the country See the article : Record inflation and skyrocketing prices leave more than 6 million Sri Lankans food insecure.

Biden’s pivotal housing investments eased burdens during a public health crisis

Building on the pandemic relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Biden administration worked with Congressional Democrats to pass the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in March 2021, which provides much-needed housing-related assistance and resources provides for the lowest income tenants as well as those on the verge of homelessness. The legislation did this through a combination of emergency rent assistance, housing vouchers, homelessness assistance programs, homeowner assistance, fair housing activities, housing counseling and utility support. On the same subject : One of the state’s top real estate agents sees a decline in Maine’s hot market. More than 80 percent of ARP’s emergency relief funds have reached the communities most in need, helping households earning 50 percent or less of their area’s median income to remain sheltered during the pandemic.

The ARP also enabled public housing authorities to work with Continuum of Care organizations — groups dedicated to building communitywide support to end homelessness — to distribute more than 74 percent of new shelter vouchers to households affected by homelessness affected or at risk of homelessness. In addition, the ARP added $4.5 billion to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), helping more than 5 million homes afford heating and cooling bills during the pandemic so they can stay comfortable, even when many were struggling with the health consequences of the pandemic.

Learn more about the ARP’s historic investments

In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), providing critical resources for modernizing housing infrastructure. For example, low-income families have long struggled to meet high energy bills; However, these costs have been compounded during the pandemic, forcing many households to choose between paying for basic needs like groceries and utility bills. Read also : How Can We Improve Social Security And Economic Security In The United States? NASI Offers Food for the Mind. Building on investments made in both the CARES Act and the ARP, the IIJA continued to focus on making housing more efficient, and therefore more affordable, through weathering that permanently reduces energy bills in households and homes safer, healthier and more comfortable to live in.

Other historic investments aimed at modernizing and upgrading homes by making them safer and more resilient are:

In addition to housing investments, the IIJA provides resources to strengthen transportation – a critical need in low-income communities where a lack of accessible transportation can exclude individuals from economic opportunity. In particular, the IIJA’s multi-billion dollar investment in the Reconnecting Communities program would take important steps to correct decades of devastating exclusionary policies that allowed the construction of highway systems through thriving black neighborhoods and impeded healthy communities and local economic development. Such policies triggered waves of displacement whose economic and social effects are still being felt today. Fortunately, IIJA’s investments will help connect low-income and often racially segregated communities more effectively to economic opportunities and other resources essential to building healthy communities.

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Sustaining pandemic-relief investments is critical to addressing stark housing inequities

While the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan provided tremendous emergency relief to low- to middle-income households at a time when staying sheltered was a critical public health issue, additional investment is required to build a long-term, sustainable housing system, that meets the needs of all individuals and families. Indeed, high rents across the country are making rental housing increasingly unaffordable for millions of low-income and working Americans.

In recognition of this issue, the Biden administration released its Housing Supply Action Plan on May 16, 2022, urging federal, state, and local governments to make every effort to address the country’s housing shortage. The plan addresses many of the shortcomings of US housing infrastructure, from the fragmentation of funding sources to the need to create and maintain thousands of affordable housing units to restrictive zoning and land use regulations. The Biden administration also plans to use existing ARP funds to further expand the state and local Tax Recovery Funds (SLFRF) and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), which will help maintain existing affordable housing, provide rent subsidies, repairs of support homes and more.

The housing-related investments being made by Congress and the Biden administration demonstrate the federal government’s power to ease the burden of housing costs on millions of homes in need and to promote more just and sustainable communities in the long term. But these investments alone are not enough; Building equity-focused communities that enable individuals and households to thrive, not just survive, requires bold action and collective commitment from stakeholders at all levels of government.

Politicians agree. A flurry of legislation has been introduced in recent months to improve housing safety, affordability, access and resilience. While many of these bills stand little chance of passing in the near future as Congress tackles more pressing issues of the day – including the Rising of 6 Crisis through multi-faceted, targeted approaches that meet the unique needs of individuals, households and communities.

Take the down payment requirements for buying a home, for example: Down payments remain a stumbling block for many first-time home buyers, especially those who don’t have significant generational wealth to ease the way. Additionally, low interest rates during the pandemic spurred homebuying demand, and wealthy homebuyers were able to capitalize on the opportunity. Unfortunately, this excluded individuals who lacked intergenerational wealth, who did not have hefty savings, or who were experiencing pandemic-induced job losses.

The Downpayment Toward Equity Act (H.R. 4495, p. 2920), sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA), would allow all first-generation homebuyers — who are disproportionately black and Hispanic — to have a House to buy Providing financial support for possible down payments as well as housing advice. In late June 2022, the House Financial Services Committee advanced this bill to lower housing costs and get first-generation households on the homeownership journey.

Other bills focus on increasing equity in the housing market. Currently, under federal law, landlords are free to refuse tenants who rely on housing vouchers. A crucial way to protect these tenants is through the Housing Fairness Act of 2021 (H.R. 68, p. 769), co-sponsored by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). This legislation would prevent discriminatory housing practices through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program and strengthen fair housing programs at the state and local levels. Additionally, the Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2022, recently reintroduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), would amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit housing discrimination based on source of income, veteran status and military status.

Improved policy solutions are also needed to better protect tenants at risk of eviction. At the federal level, for example, the bipartisan Eviction Crisis Act (p. 2182) contains several provisions that would better address the severity of the eviction problems faced by households, particularly families with children. This legislation, co-sponsored by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH), would protect renters by tracking national data on evictions and establishing a permanent emergency relief fund to provide financial assistance to renters at risk of eviction and increasing funds to assist tenants in obtaining legal representation.

Additional reading

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Conclusion

Although housing is as necessary as clean air and water, it is becoming increasingly difficult for millions of households to achieve it. Safe and stable housing is essential to building financial stability so individuals and families can thrive and prosper. While pandemic-related and post-pandemic investments by the Biden administration have helped people weather the worst of the housing crisis in recent years, COVID-19 has pointed to a growing housing crisis and unmet need.

One thing is clear: the country must focus on providing equitable and sustainable housing opportunities for all people, but especially for historically disadvantaged communities. Politicians must do the right thing and invest in housing infrastructure that gives everyone a chance to succeed.

The positions of American Progress and our policy experts are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters can be found here. American Progress would like to recognize the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

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