On NLIHC’s most recent (July 18) national call for the “HoUSed: Universal, Stable, Affordable Housing” campaign, we shared news from Capitol Hill, heard from health equity researchers about the role of research in advocacy, discussed the results of the National Housing Law Project’s (NHLP) HUD eviction survey, and received updates from our End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) project team and other partners in the field. View a recording of the call at: tinyurl.com/3992ww6b
NLIHC’s Sarah Saadian provided updates on the budget reconciliation and fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations processes. The U.S. House and Senate will be entering August recess next month, providing opportunities for advocates to meet with members of Congress in their home districts. Advocates should use the August recess to urge members of Congress to support NLIHC’s FY23 appropriations priorities and undertake proven long-term solutions to combat the affordable housing crisis. NLIHC will release an Advocacy Toolkit to provide resources and best practices for field advocates to generate congressional support for crucial legislation to support federal housing programs.
NLIHC’s Kim Johnson shared updates on the progress of the “Stable Families Act” and “Eviction Crisis Act.” The bipartisan “Eviction Crisis Act,” introduced in the Senate by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), and its House companion bill, the “Stable Families Act,” introduced by Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY), would adopt an innovative approach to increasing housing stability by creating a permanent program to help households experiencing an economic shock pay their rent and avoid housing instability, eviction, and in the worst cases, homelessness. National, state, local, tribal, and territorial organizations can join a sign-on letter in support of these bills. Meanwhile, NLIHC’s Alayna Calabro reported that Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Scott Peters (D-CA), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) recently introduced the “Rent Relief Act of 2022” in the House. If enacted, the bill would help renters better afford rent and bridge the widening gap between incomes and housing costs by providing a refundable renter’s tax credit.
Kate Leifheit from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Gabriel Schwartz from the University of California, San Francisco, shared the recommendations they offer in “Building Health Equity through Housing Policies: Critical Reflections and Future Directions for Research,” an article discussing the need for academic researchers to engage with housing policy advocacy. They recommend health policy researchers play a more active role in advocacy by centering conversations around people with lived experience of homelessness, partnering with community organizers and coalitions, framing research questions for meaningful policy change, and investing in more robust and detailed housing data.
NHLP’s Deborah Thrope and Tanaya Srini discussed the results and recommendations from their HUD eviction survey. The survey was begun in July 2020 to investigate the state of evictions on the ground. Among other conclusions, the survey found that many public housing authorities (PHAs) ignored strategies for reducing rent that would have helped families by accurately adjusting household rents to account for tenants’ greatly fluctuating incomes. To address problematic PHA practices, NHLP recommended that HUD require PHAs to apply for emergency rental assistance on behalf of all tenants who are behind on rent due to pandemic-related hardships. Due to a severe lack of available data on evictions and housing instability in HUD-assisted housing, NHLP also recommended that HUD collect data on its residents to understand the full scope of evictions in HUD’s housing programs. Advocates can also access NHLP’s eviction prevention resources to combat harmful eviction practices.
Alayna Calabro provided an overview of Treasury’s revised Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) guidance as part of NLIHC’s ERASE project. The new “Treasury Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) includes guidance to address duplicate payments, the permissibility of job and employment requirements, source-of-income discrimination laws, housing stability services, program accessibility for protected classes, and documentation for bulk utility payments.
Justin Srsic of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC) shared a field update on his organization’s nonpartisan candidate engagement efforts. Through virtual monthly town halls, VAHC provides a platform for coalition partners to share current needs, success stories, and policy priorities with candidates for Vermont’s state legislature and engage in meaningful discussion about the future of affordable housing in the state.
National HoUSed campaign calls now occur every other week. Our next call will be held on August 1 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm ET. Register for the call at: tinyurl.com/ru73qan
Watch a recording of the July 18 call at: tinyurl.com/3992ww6b
View presentation slides from the July 18 call at: tinyurl.com/55cxy43u