More than 1,000 organizers, advocates, reporters, and legislative staff attended the weekly “Coronavirus, Housing, and Homelessness” national call hosted by NLIHC and our Disaster Recovery Housing Coalition (DHRC) on May 11. The call featured updates from national, state, and local advocates and service providers assisting people experiencing homelessness, low-income households, and members of marginalized communities, all of whom are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Register for today’s (May 18) 2:30 pm ET call at: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan
On the May 11 call, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative Denny Heck (D-WA) spoke about their proposed bill, the “Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act,” which would provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to prevent evictions and keep people stably housed during the coronavirus crisis. (Their bill was subsequently included in the HEROES Act that passed in the House on May 15 - see the article in this Memo.) NLIHC’s Vice President of Research Andrew Aurand discussed NLIHC’s research note, “Emergency Rental Assistance Needs for Struggling Workers due to COVID-19,” which outlines the need for emergency rental assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis (see, Memo 5/11).
Lisa Sloan of the Technical Assistance Collaborative spoke about how the pandemic is impacting people with disabilities, and Marie Claire Tran-Leung from the Shriver Center on Poverty Law discussed the needs of people exiting the criminal justice system. Elissa Margolin of Housing Action New Hampshire, Bob Palmer of Housing Action Illinois, and Andrew Bradley of Prosperity Indiana provided field updates.
NLIHC hosts national calls on the Coronavirus, Housing, and Homelessness every week on Mondays at 2:30 pm ET. Register for today’s (May 18) call at: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan
Watch a recording of the May 11 call at: tinyurl.com/y7ju4mgu
View the May 11 presentation slides at: tinyurl.com/yd6zh2x8
Stay up to date on COVID news and housing resources at: https://bit.ly/3dwCSEm