On NLIHC’s most recent (May 23) national call for the “HoUSed: Universal, Stable, Affordable Housing” campaign, we shared the latest updates from Capitol Hill, discussed a new report from PolicyLink on the intersection of racial inequity and the national shortage of affordable homes, heard about President Biden’s “Housing Supply Action Plan,” and received updates from our End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) project and other partners in the field. View a recording of the call at: tinyurl.com/2s3u68ba
NLIHC’s Kim Johnson shared updates on the fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations process, a potential reconciliation bill, and the progress of the “Eviction Crisis Act.” NLIHC is continuing to push for significant affordable housing investments in the FY23 appropriations bill and any reconciliation package moving forward, and we are urging advocates to continue contacting their members of Congress to demand support for robust funding for resources to address homelessness and the housing needs of people with the lowest incomes. National organizations can also join a sign-on letter in support of the bipartisan “Eviction Crisis Act” and its soon-to-be introduced companion bill, the “Stable Families Act,” which would create a permanent emergency rental assistance program to ensure low-income households facing a sudden economic shock can receive financial assistance to remain stably housed.
Rasheedah Phillips, director of housing at PolicyLink, discussed findings from The Shrinking Geography of Opportunity in Metro America, a new report examining how racial inequity and the nation’s severe shortage of affordable, available housing are disproportionately impacting Black renters. The report finds that working-class households – and Black and Latino households in particular – have extremely limited choices when it comes to affordable neighborhoods, and that most neighborhoods affordable to Black, Latino, and low-income renters are “lower opportunity neighborhoods.” Accompanying the report is a dashboard tracking neighborhood affordability by opportunity level for low-income households in various racial groups.
Special Assistant to the President for Housing Supply and Urban Policy Erika Poethig joined the call to discuss President Biden’s new “Housing Supply Action Plan” (see Memo, 5/16). The plan includes a series of measures designed to increase the supply of housing over the next five years, including (1) using federal transportation funds to incentivize jurisdictions to reduce restrictive local zoning laws; (2) supporting manufactured housing, accessory dwelling units, and small-scale developments; and (3) streamlining federal financing and funding sources to help lower costs and speed development. While the “Housing Supply Action Plan” is a welcome development, Congress must also take action to enact a budget reconciliation bill that includes the bold, targeted housing investments needed to address the root cause of the affordable housing shortage.
Tori Bourret and Sarah Gallagher from NLIHC’s ERASE project shared two new reports. The first, Promoting Housing Stability through Just Cause Eviction Legislation, explores state and local advocacy efforts to enact “just cause” eviction laws, which aim to prevent evictions and promote housing stability by limiting the causes for which a landlord can evict a tenant or refuse to renew a tenant’s lease. The second report, Extending the Reach of Emergency Rental Assistance: Leveraging Federal Resources, provides suggestions for how states and localities can extend the availability of emergency rental assistance by tapping into existing federal resources, including the $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocated in the “American Rescue Plan Act.”
Three ERASE cohort members – Alison McIntosh of Neighborhood Partnerships in Oregon, Abby Ng of Tenants and Neighbors in New York, and Ellen Davidson of the Legal Aid Society in New York – also joined the call to discuss the “just cause” eviction legislation proposed in their communities. Angela Stovall from JustFix.nyc provided the week’s field update and shared a recently launched tool to help renters identify who owns their building. JustFix.nyc provides numerous resources for tenants, including a sample Letter of Complaint tool, a Rent History Online Form to request a copy of a unit’s rent history, and a database of New York City’s highest evicting properties.
National HoUSed campaign calls now occur every other week. Our next call will be held on June 6 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm ET. Register for the call at: tinyurl.com/ru73qan
Watch a recording of the May 23 call at: tinyurl.com/2s3u68ba
View presentation slides from the May 23 call at: tinyurl.com/2dc668z2