You may also be able to find help at DisasterAssistance.gov . The link between neighborhood poverty and health: Context or composition?. WebDocumentation/proof of Housing Instability due to COVID-19 financial hardship. The goal is to demonstrate ways grantees and their partners can create online application forms that are user-friendly, succinct, and easily understood. As described in Treasury's FAQs, grantees must determine who is eligible to receive rental assistance. Some programs may also provide housing counseling, case management, legal representation, and other housing stability services. The change in rent could apply to unpaid rent. experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and c. the household is a low-income family (as such term is defined in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. The state of the nations housing 2014. Rental assistance helps renters and landlords make ends meet. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible. Housing costs exceed 50% of the current household income. Affording housing at the expense of health: Exploring the housing and neighborhood strategies of poor families. For additional information on cross-cutting topics, please see the Incarceration, Poverty, and Quality of Housing literature summaries. The federal ERA Program allows local programs to cover rent, utilities, and home energy costs. We also use the term Latinx, which includes a person or group of people with origins in Latin American. Do this as soon as possible. These policies and practices continue to keep people of color in poverty. Asking for the total amount that the tenant owes for the utility allows all fees needed to maintain that utility to be included. (n.d.) Rental assistance. (1987, July 22). For example, people living in lower-income areas rate their own health lower than those living in higher-income neighborhoods.28The Moving to Opportunity (MTO) program provided very low-income families with rental assistance and housing counseling to move from high-poverty to low-poverty neighborhoods.29,30Research on the effects of the MTO program showed that people who moved from high-poverty to low-poverty neighborhoods before the age of 13 were more likely to attend college, had higher incomes, were less likely to be single parents, and lived in better neighborhoods as adults.31Adult women given vouchers through MTO had a lower prevalence of extreme obesity and diabetes after 10 to 16 years compared to those not given vouchers.32. WebWhen completing a Housing Stabilization Services Eligibility Request, eligibility documentation must be attached. Allow applicants to progress and self-attest if they cannot provide documentation. If you cannot find any program in your area, call 2-1-1 or your local housing authority for assistance. (2011). Before COVID-19, half of all renters were moderately or severely cost-burdened, with at least 30 to 50 percent of their household income going toward housing costs.9 Cost-burdened renters, particularly those of color, are the most at risk of eviction due to the increased likelihood of missing rent payments. If you live in a manufactured home or mobile home, you can get rental help. Or, you might qualify for a hardship exemption that allows you to skip one or more rent payments. For more detailed information on how to legally respond to an eviction notice, and the possible court proceedings, visit our eviction process overview page. For instance, if your rent is subsidized by a federal agency like the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), you cant get help from your local program to cover the federally subsidized portion of your rent. E[n5zw %y_Tld2et8@T ``^EX, ( 6Cp{ &!FI$,R We help tenants in housing crisis due to fire, natural disaster, eviction, or condemnation. We help tenants in housing crisis due to fire, natural disaster, eviction, or condemnation. Money from the federal ERA Program is for renters only. If its hard for you to show income or job loss, or if you have a special situation, local programs may let you write out your own statement about your income. Am I eligible for emergency rental assistance? The state of the nations housing 2020. Long entrenched, racially targeted policies and practices at the local, state, and national levels have led to discriminatory practices and disparities in rental housing.4 The Fair Housing Act (FHA) of 1968 prohibits discrimination against applicants and tenants based on various identities, including race.5 Yet despite the FHA and its amendments, overt and subtle racial discrimination still occurs. However, housing discrimination policies that disproportionately affect people of color, such as barring people with criminalized records from renting or obtaining housing vouchers,7 are still legal; and other discriminatory practices, such as landlords showing families of color fewer rental options,8 still occur with little tracking or accountability. Grantees should adjust the list of programs to reflect additional programs available in their jurisdiction. endstream endobj startxref 1437a(b))).2 While there are some differences in eligibility between ERA1 and ERA2, the eligibility If your household has no income, or if your employers offices have closed, it may be difficult to prove your household income. We offer free counseling to landlords to support owner and tenant stabilization. "a Landlords in the private market can lease their apartments to families in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. Journal of Family Issues, 37(7), 921946. Proof of rental obligation; 3. Treasury is providing example reference screens to help grantees with implementing ERA program online applications. Emily A. Benfer, Solomon J. Greene, and Margaret Hagan, Approaches to Eviction Prevention (Social Science Research Network, 2020): available at, Tenant Resource Center, Eviction, available at, Brian Bieretz, Kimberly Burrowes, and Emily Bramhall, Getting Landlords and Tenants to Talk (Washington: Urban Institute, 2020), available at, National League of Cities, Long-Term Approaches to Preventing Evictions Now and Beyond COVID-19, August 7, 2020), available at, Heidi Schultheis and Catilin Rooney, A Right to Counsel Is a Right to a Fighting Chance: The Importance of Legal Representation in Eviction Proceedings (Washington: Center for American Progress, 2019), available at, Oksana Mironova, Right to Counsel and Stronger Rent Laws Helped Reduce Evictions on 2019, Community Service Society, February 24, 2020, available at, Lexington Law, How Long Does an Eviction Stay on Your Record., Office of Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, Eviction Record Sealing Authority Amendment Act of 2019, Press release, June 18, 2019, available at, Fairness in Renting Emergency Amendment Act of 2020, B23-0940, Council of the District of Columbia (October 5, 2020), available at, Gapard Le Dem, D.C. doi: 10.1080/10511482.2015.1020321, Bailey, K. T., Cook, J. T., Ettinger de Cuba, S., Casey, P. H., Chilton, M., Coleman, S. M., & Frank, D. A. Segregating shelter: How housing policies shape the residential locations of low-income minority families. Local programs have different requirements. If I dont need help with rent, can I still get help with utilities, heating and cooling bills, the cost of moving, or other costs? Social Science Research, 40(4), 11961213. How stable is stable? V@xYdpYJ8B0T\&t`*PyC" i(8yvL,LLB\,230P4S5c o6?02hs0igHdfpYb^33s0053. var subscribe = document.getElementById('enSubscribeFooter'); 7301, 116th Cong., 2nd sess. Housing instability encompasses a number of challenges, such as having trouble paying rent, overcrowding, moving frequently, or spending the bulk of household income on housing.1,2These experiences may negatively affect physical health and make it harder to access health care.1,3,4This summary will discuss the cost of housing as well as the health effects of substandard housing and forced evictions. The BREATHE Act,82 a holistic racial equity policy platform built by the Movement for Black Lives with support from Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), as well as various cosponsors, includes a section on equitable community investments.83 The act advocates for addressing the affordable housing crisis by pushing to advance reconciliation for Native Americans and other communities negatively affected by redlining and other housing discrimination policies and practices. To ensure an equitable recovery from this pandemic, past harms and current hardships faced by communities of color must be reconciled. If your landlord refuses to participate in the program (after repeated requests from us), you may be eligible to receive direct payment of the financial award. National Low Income Housing Coalition. Applying for rental assistance may stop the clock on the eviction process if you have a case in Housing Court. Highlighted within these initial eligibility screens are the practices detailed in "Guidelines for ERA program online applications". var onSuccessSubmitenSubscribeFooter = function() { doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300139, Meltzer, R., & Schwartz, A. Eviction and the reproduction of urban poverty. Neighborhoods, obesity, and diabetes a randomized social experiment. There are multiple ways to prove a risk of homelessness or housing instability, including: The calculated household income is less than 30% of the AMI. As a result, more renters are turning to savings,32 retirement,33 and the newly accepted rental payment method by many landlordscredit cards.34 These methods of staying afloat that so many are now turning to plant the seeds of future financial struggle, as many diminish personal emergency funds and increase debt as individuals and families try to stay housed.35 Tenant advocate groups, researchers, and agencies across the country have identified eviction as a perpetuator of poverty,36 a driver of homelessness,37 and a public health crisis.38, In response to the coronavirus pandemic, some emergency housing protections have been taken at the local, state, and federal levels. Get practical information about your legal rights in Massachusetts. Neighborhoods with more renters of color face higher rates of eviction. Protecting programs that include a race-conscious approach means vetoing harmful actions such as the recent Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,85 which will punish government contractors and nonprofits who provide trainings on race and sex diversity, equity, and inclusion by withholding federal grants for these lifesaving programs.86 It also means protecting the FHA87 and reviving the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provisions that combat housing discrimination and promote community participation.88. http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Renters_in_Foreclosure_2012.pdf [PDF 428 KB], Busacker, A., & Kasehagen, L. (2012). To do so, specifically when it comes to rental housing, requires: Renters of color face discrimination in obtaining and maintaining housing. 230 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<1EE02C84DA744D4784F61DE02328B05A>]/Index[208 39]/Info 207 0 R/Length 108/Prev 359524/Root 209 0 R/Size 247/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Here's a snapshot of the objectives related to topics covered in this literature summary. The question Is this household currently caught up on rent payments? (Question 40b) was asked in Phase 2 of the HPS, which includes weeks 13 through 16 (August 19 to October 12, 2020). Rent burden, housing subsidies and the well-being of children and youth. Apply for money to cover rent and utilities today. The affordable housing crisis: Residential mobility of poor families and school mobility of poor children. Once you click all three boxes, read their content and close the windows, you can click Next to continue. Receipt due to past During this time between protections in late August, many cities saw historical spikes in the number of evictions being filed, with increases as high as 118 percent above normal.51 But even after the CDCs halt, local courts were still carrying out evictions for many families.52 And though the halt on evictions may help some tenants, the Trump administration issued guidance in October that further burdened struggling renters by allowing landlords to challenge renters declaration of eligibilitya declaration that tenants already provide under penalty of perjuryand proceed with eviction filing.53. A full list of supporters is available, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Can Support Racial Equity in Homeownership and Environmental Justice Efforts, The United States Must Deliver on Equitable Housing Outcomes for All, The ARP Grew the Economy, Reduced Poverty, and Eased Financial Hardship for Millions, Why the United States Must Stay the Course on Ukraine, Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family, The Killing of Tyre Nichols Must Serve as a Catalyst to Root Out Racial Injustice in Policing, 5 Ways Governors and Mayors Can Leverage Federal Investments. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa1103216, Aratani, Y., Chau, M. M., Wight, V., & Addy, S. D. (2011). American Journal of Public Health, 105(2), 311316. Hide complexity from an applicant until or unless they must take action. But this depends on your local program. People experiencing housing instability reportedly face a number of barriers that prevent them from finding and applying for employment. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(1), 7887. Our goal is to put residents on the path to housing stability. Housing subsidies administered by the federal government provide financial assistance to help low-income people pay rent.6,33,34However, households may be on waitlists for several years before receiving assistance.6,18,33Due to limited funds and the large number of households in need, only 26 percent of eligible households received federal housing subsidies in 2013.8Further work is needed to explore potential strategies to reduce housing instability. Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Building an Economy for All, Strengthening Health, Affordable Housing, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Poverty, Racial Equity and Justice, Racial Wealth Gap+6More, Associate Director, State and Local Government Affairs, Senior Director, Safety and Justice Campaign; Director, State and Local Government Affairs. Neighborhood characteristics can strongly influence health. Renters of color are more cost-burdened. https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/house-bill/558, Schanzer, B., Dominguez, B., Shrout, P. E., & Caton, C. L. (2007). `Fr4S;D1 Be sure to offer self-attestation if the applicant cannot provide any documentation. It doesnt matter how long you have been living in your current rental home. Each of the following examples demonstrates elements of those guidelines. doi: 10.1007/s10995-014-1633-6, Do, D. P., & Finch, B. K. (2008). I have a rent-to-own agreement with my landlord. Authors note:CAP uses Black and African American interchangeably throughout many of our products. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The eviction process begins when a landlord serves you a legal document called a Notice to Quit (Eviction Notice). This example shows a way to structure the rent assistance portion of an application. Web Proof of disability or disabling condition. For details, start with the rental assistance programforyour state, tribe, or localarea. Regardless of the outcome, having an eviction filed makes it more difficult for an individual to obtain rental housing in the future. Visit Benefits.gov for more information about Emergency Solutions Grants. However, throughout the pandemic, advocates39 have shown that these protections, while essential, have fallen short and that much more emergency action is necessary as need continues to remain high.40, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law in March 2020, provided direly needed housing protections and homeless services aids.41 However, many of these protections and aids have expired, such as unemployment insurance benefit boosts and a moratorium on evictions for federally backed housing. To be eligible for help covering your rent, you must have an agreement to pay rent for your home or mobile home lot. If so, you'll need to make sure that your landlord uploads proof of your past due rent/late fees. Yes, but only for rent and utility bills charged on or after March 13, 2020, when a national state of emergency was declared. Due to historic and current policies as well as systemic racism in housing, criminal justice, education, employment, and health care, people of color are more likely to experience homelessness across their lifespan.23 As a result, communities of color are overrepresented in the homeless population, with nearly 40 percent of people experiencing homelessness identifying as Black, 22 percent as Latinx, 3 percent as Native American, and 2 percent as Pacific Islander.24 These racial disparities are only expected to worsen due to the impacts of the neglectful mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic.25, Although housing insecurity affected communities of color long before COVID-19, the current pandemic continues to exacerbate inequalities. Like other renters, you may also qualify for help with utilities or other housing-related expenses. NOTE: The Office of Housing Stability is located at 43 Hawkins Street. Use this Area Median Income Lookup Tool from Fannie Mae to find the AMI in your area. Johan Hassel, Kate Donald, Laura Kilbury, 1 More Some programs offer help with future rent. hbbd```b``vA$$,&WaDY0yl'BIB\[A$`9`` L&uEMa`@d(/$>9a"L] O k6 Ct@ : Grantees should adjust the content in the help text to be consistent with the specific policies and procedures that have been developed locally. Programs have to make sure they are complying with their own eligibility policies and procedures. However, more recent versions of the bill have cut these proposals by nearly half.44 In July, the Senate introduced the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protections, and Schools (HEALS) Act,45 another relief package, which proposes only $3.3 billion for certain housing vouchers and does not propose funding for homelessness aid. Talk to your local program to find out more. If an applicant's utility bill is bundled with other non-eligible services and thus needs to be broken apart, details on how to do so should be included here. The United States needs to recover not only from the ongoing pandemic but also from its long history of exclusion and inequality.