The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) and Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC), two NLIHC-led groups, hosted an April 23 webinar on the implementation of “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act” funding. More than 500 attendees attended this discussion on the inequitable impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities, and opportunities to use CARES Act funding to meet the immediate and long-term housing needs of disproportionately impacted communities, including low-income renters, people experiencing homelessness, people of color, people with disabilities, and formerly incarcerated people. The recording is available at: https://youtu.be/KBRnUhMRRK4
Diane Yentel, president and CEO of NLIHC, offered opening remarks and noted the importance of centering marginalized communities in coronavirus response, and NLIHC Policy Analyst Kim Johnson gave a brief overview of the housing provisions in the CARES Act. Shamus Roller, executive director of the National Housing Law Project, described the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums established in the CARES Act and provided suggestions for how Congress can implement a national eviction moratorium to ensure people will not lose their housing in the midst of the pandemic. Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, provided an overview of how Emergency Solutions Grants funding can be used to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness and housing instable households. Marion McFadden, senior vice president for public policy at Enterprise Community Partners, detailed both Community Development Block Grant and Unemployment Insurance provisions in the CARES Act.
Mike Wallace, legislative director of community and economic development at National League of Cities described new guidance on how Coronavirus Relief Funds can be used. Peggy Bailey, vice president for housing policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, addressed the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on communities of color – particularly Black communities – urging attendees to center the needs of marginalized communities in their response to coronavirus. Dara Baldwin, director of national policy at the Center for Disability Rights, shared insights on how the needs of people with disabilities have been overlooked in disaster response. Her comments shed light on the housing needs of formerly incarcerated people as prisons and jails move to release people during the pandemic. Sarah Saadian, NLIHC’s vice president of policy, closed the webinar by describing CHCDF’s list of asks for subsequent COVID relief bills and suggesting ways attendees could engage their members of Congress to ensure the housing needs of marginalized communities are met.
View a recording of the webinar at: https://youtu.be/KBRnUhMRRK4