Please note that NLIHC will be hosting weekly national calls on COVID-19 and housing/homelessness every Monday afternoon. The next call is this coming Monday, May 4 at 2:30pm to 4:00pm ET. Representative David Price (D-NC) will be joining us, as well as President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) Nan Roman, Chandra Crawford of NAEH, Solomon Greene of the Urban Institute, field updates from Puerto Rico, Arizona, and South Dakota, and more! Register for the call here: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan
A reminder that NLIHC and other national leaders of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding are hosting a national call-in day on Monday, May 4 to demand funding for homelessness and affordable housing in the next coronavirus relief package. Call or send an email from NLIHC’s Legislative Action Center on Monday, May 4 to urge them to include funding to meet the urgent needs of people experiencing homelessness and America’s lowest-income renters in the next relief package! Learn more here.
Additional updates below. Coronavirus Update, Friday, May 1, 2020
NLIHC is also maintaining a COVID-19/Housing and Homelessness News and Resource page here. We have recently updated the website to make it more user friendly!
National Updates
Congress
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that Democrats are considering approximately $1 trillion in state and local government needs for the next coronavirus spending bill. Republican lawmakers, however, rejected the idea of providing such a significant amount of money to state and local budgets. House Democrats are considering a variety of other provisions, including money for health care providers, food stamps, direct payments to individuals, housing assistance, and others. Pelosi suggested that the House will be returning to the Capitol the week of May 11.
Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released a report on April 30 detailing the disproportionate impact that the coronavirus is having on communities of color. The report also lists Democratic priorities for future coronavirus relief packages, including funding to address the urgent needs of people experiencing homelessness and emergency rental assistance for low-income renters.
Housing and Urban Development
HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs posted a two-page explanation of the CARES Act eviction moratorium designed for tenants who have HUD-funded rental assistance and/or live in an FHA-insured property. Learn more about the paper in NLIHC’s Memo article (4/27).
Advocacy
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition will continue to push for a broad array of resources and protections, including emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention assistance, a national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and emergency funds for homelessness service providers, housing authorities, and housing providers, among other recommendations. For more information, see DHRC’s full list of recommendations, which will continue to be expanded and refined.
Reporting
In an ABC News report, NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel urged Congress to include an additional $100 billion in rental assistance in the next coronavirus relief package to prevent evictions and avert a significant spike in homelessness and displacement after the moratoria expire.
Tens of thousands tenants across the country will participate in a coordinated rent strike on May 1. The strikes will be concentrated in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Cea Weaver, the communications director for Housing Justice for All, estimated that 10,000 people have pledged to strike.
The Washington Post used the Eviction Lab’s scorecard to examine state variations in eviction protections.
Real Change News explained that while America’s affordable housing and homelessness crises have been present long before the coronavirus. The pandemic is highlighting the need for a national housing justice movement that addresses systemic racism.
WBUR aired a segment exploring how many Americans continue to face housing insecurity despite eviction and foreclosure moratoria that some states have enacted.
State and Local News
A list of local eviction and foreclosure moratoriums is available here from NLIHC.
A list of state and local emergency rental assistance programs is available here from NLIHC.
A list of local shelter closings is available here from NLIHC.
Alaska
A temporary homeless shelter set up at Ketchikan’s recreation center will close nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, drawing criticism and concern from advocates. The initial plan was to keep the emergency shelter open until at least May 15, but Ketchikan’s emergency operations center announced that it would close May 3.
An editorial in the Los Angeles Times discussed the “appalling” nature of NIMBYism against housing for people experiencing homelessness, especially during a pandemic. Some cities, including Lawndale and Covina, have protested decisions to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness in local hotels.
San Francisco officials announced that the city has acquired more than 120 recreational vehicles and trailers to shelter people experiencing homelessness during COVID-19. Of the 120 trailers, 91 were provided by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and 29 were leased by the city.
The city of Encinitas entered into an agreement on March 20 with a local nonprofit to house up to 80 households experiencing homelessness in motels. When the first batch of vouchers neared the expiration dates and California released a more detailed list of hotel room eligibility, the Encinitas City Council announced that it would only fund voucher extensions for up to 22 households until May 15. Many individuals experiencing homelessness in the city have already returned to their prior living situations or will soon, increasing their vulnerability to the coronavirus.
Colorado
City workers swept a large homeless encampment in Denver on April 30. A spokeswoman for the city stated that the sweep was prompted by concern that the area was becoming “increasingly hazardous.”
Florida Fort Lauderdale officials announced that the city is prepared to spend up to $200,000 to provide shelter in hotels for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. According to City Manager Chris Lagerbloom, a $200,000 federal grant would eventually reimburse the city.
Georgia Crossroads Community Ministries, an organization that operates like a post office for people who are experiencing homelessness and don’t have a permanent address, has continued to provide services throughout the pandemic. The executive director spoke with WABE about the challenges that the organization has encountered due to COVID-19.
Idaho
Interfaith Sanctuary, a Boise homeless shelter, spearheaded a new program to house and care for people experiencing homelessness who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are symptomatic. People who have tested positive can stay at Cottonwood Suites hotel, and those awaiting test results can stay at the Boise Rescue Mission.
Illinois
The founder of a South Side nonprofit organization, her husband, and volunteers have been driving around Chicago, distributing food, masks, gloves, and sanitizer to vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness.
Indiana Hoosier Action, a grassroots group focused on addressing the needs of Indiana residents, held a virtual meeting to discuss the resources needed to help low-income residents or those without permanent housing during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Maryland Fifty Democratic Senators sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan urging him to cancel rent and mortgage payments in Maryland for residents and businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Residents of Project PLASE, a shelter facility in Baltimore, held a demonstration to denounce the shelter’s response after staff contracted the coronavirus last month. Residents and their allies accused the facility’s director of failing to institute necessary precautions and demanded blanket testing for all residents. Read the director’s full response here.
Massachusetts
Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced that the city will move forward with universal testing for all people experiencing homelessness. Boston has secured an additional 1,000 tests, which will allow public health officials to test all clients in the city’s shelter system over the next two weeks.
WBUR interviewed leadership and staff of St. Francis House, a homeless shelter in Boston. For workers in Boston shelters, the need for universal testing is urgent and personal.
Michigan Partnerships among city departments, nonprofits, and other organizations aim to protect people experiencing homelessness in Detroit, including a new collaborative effort of restaurants providing food for about 400 sheltered residents each day.
The Community Housing Network is using funds from a $100,000 grant from United Way for Southeastern Michigan to offer rental assistance and additional services to low-income renters. Housing advocates in Oakland County are calling for additional rental assistance and more affordable housing investments during and after the pandemic.
Mississippi
The Mississippi Center for Justice filed an emergency motion with the Mississippi Supreme Court to halt evictions until July 27 in an effort to prevent an expected and unprecedented rise in evictions and homelessness due to the pandemic.
Missouri
Governor Mark Parson announced that Missouri will receive $24 million in federal funding to support homeowners and renters that have been impacted by the pandemic. In a tweet, the Governor reported that the state will receive an additional $9.4 million dollars in ESG funds that can be used to help people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.
Montana Missoula will use a motel that the city purchased in late April to provide short-term housing for people experiencing homelessness who need to quarantine or self-isolate. When the crisis is over, the city plans to demolish and redevelop the property into permanent affordable housing.
New Jersey
As Newark renters face illegal eviction due to the pandemic, pro bono and advocacy groups worry that many Newarkers are vulnerable to landlord exploitation. Newark is one of three cities in the country to offer pro bono legal representation to low-income renters facing eviction.
New York
Vijay Dandapani, president of the Hotel Association of New York City, said that city hotels are ready and willing to help house people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. The city cites health and safety concerns as justification for why it has not expanded its current hotel program. Giselle Routhier, policy director for Coalition for the Homeless, an NLIHC state partner, stated that the city’s delay in housing unsheltered residents in hotels is due to a lack of will.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the state and city will halt subway service between 1 and 5am each night to disinfect every train every 24 hours. Homeless advocates expressed concern that people experiencing homelessness who had been staying in subway stations will have nowhere to go.
Ohio
The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), an NLIHC state partner, held a teleconference call with the Ohio Poverty Law Center and the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin to address the state’s affordable housing crisis. The advocates, including the executive director of COHHIO, Bill Faith, emphasized the urgent need to establish an emergency rental assistance relief program to protect low-income renters from eviction.
The Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO) released its April tracking report detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the local affordable housing market. Affordable housing challenges increased in nearly all sectors. AHACO announced its support for including $100 billion in Emergency Solutions Grants in the next federal relief package to provide rental assistance to Ohio tenants.
Oregon
Eleven people experiencing homelessness have tested positive for the coronavirus in the Portland area. The Oregon Health Authority has announced plans to expand testing for people experiencing homelessness. Lane County has calculated how many tests would be needed to evaluate everyone in their shelters; however, Multnomah County and Washington County have not announced plans to do the same.
The City of Ashland has employed reimbursement eligible from its Community Development Block Grant and FEMA to acquire hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. A local non-profit, Options for Helping Residents of Ashland, was awarded a $100,000 grant to fund the program.
South Dakota Homeless shelters in Sioux Falls are facing additional challenges to serving people experiencing homelessness in the wake of the pandemic. While city shelters, including Union Gospel Mission and the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, struggle to balance safety and service, they continue their missions to serve people experiencing homelessness.
Texas
A new hotline was established to connect Houston residents experiencing homelessness with free COVID-19 testing provided through Healthcare for the Homeless Houston.
Forty-one residents of the Dallas Life shelter in the Cedars tested positive for the coronavirus, and another 150 were likely exposed and are in quarantine. In wake of this outbreak, Dallas shelters are instituting more forceful protective measures.
Utah
Tara Rollins and Francisca Blanc of the Utah Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, highlighted the need for Utahans to ensure that all essential workers have access to a safe, affordable home.
Vermont
The director of the Northeast Kingdom Community Action, a social services agency that is now managing four shelter sites across the region, discussed how the pandemic has revealed the extent to which Northeast Kingdom residents are experiencing housing insecurity. The Northeast Kingdom Community Action is one of 20 organizations that the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition chose to award a portion of its $100,000 grant from NLIHC.
Washington, DC
The D.C. Tenants Union, formed last year, has sent a dozen letters to landlords requesting that all or portions of their tenants’ rents be waived in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 3,300 D.C. tenants signed on to a petition to “cancel rents and mortgages.” The group’s demands include cancellation of rent for the duration of the emergency and an additional month, a two-year rent freeze, strengthening the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and others.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.
DISASTER HOUSING RECOVERY COALITION, C/O NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION
1000 Vermont Avenue, NW | Suite 500 | Washington, DC 20005 | 202-662-1530 | www.nlihc.org
