Volume 25, Issue 13
March 30, 2020
In This Issue:
Point of View 
The End of the Beginning – by Diane Yentel, NLIHC President and CEO
During this extraordinary and challenging time, I have been awed and inspired by so many of you – by your perseverance, advocacy, creativity and commitment. Many of you are frontline workers, working in homeless shelters, as homeless outreach workers or affordable housing providers. You are working incredibly long days and making significant personal sacrifices to protect the most vulnerable people in your communities. You are doing this work without the equipment or resources you need to keep yourselves, your families, and others safe.
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Coronavirus, Homelessness, and Housing
President Signs Coronavirus Package with Funding for Homelessness and Housing
Congress passed and President Trump signed into law a $2 trillion direct spending bill to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The bill passed out of the Senate the evening of March 25 on a unanimous vote, passed the House by voice vote March 27, and was signed into law by the president the same day.
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Coronavirus - Congress 
House Democrats, Members of Congress Introduce COVID-19 Response Bills
Prior to their passage of the COVID-19 response legislation negotiated in the Senate, Democrats in the House of Representatives and other members of Congress introduced their own bills to address the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on people experiencing homelessness and low-income renters.
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Senators Urged Leaders to Include Assistance for People Experiencing Homelessness in COVID-19 Stimulus Package
As Congress and the White House negotiated a COVID-19 stimulus package, a number of Democratic members of the Senate urged Senate leaders and the administration to ensure that people experiencing homelessness receive assistance. The final package did include some critical resources for housing and homelessness, although there is still more work to do. Read NLIHC’s analysis of the stimulus measure here.
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Bipartisan Coalition of Mayors Sent Letter Urging Congressional Leaders to Include Funding for Low-Income Renters and People Experiencing Homelessness in COVID-19 Response Bill
A bipartisan coalition of mayors and city officials across the country sent a letter on March 23 urging Congressional leaders to include funding to assist low-income households and people experiencing homelessness in the COVID-19 response bill.
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Coronavirus – FEMA
President Trump Declares Major Disasters in 24 States and Territories as COVID-19 Cases Spike
President Donald Trump has declared Major Disaster Declarations in 24 states and territories, allowing FEMA to ramp up its assistance to state governments as COVID-19 continues to spread across the country. As of March 30, District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington, as well as a number of tribal areas, are under Major Disaster Declarations.
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Coronavirus – FHFA
FHFA Offers Owners of Multifamily Properties Mortgage Forbearance if They Agree to Suspend Evictions
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the federal agency overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced on March 23 that owners of multifamily properties with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac would receive mortgage forbearance during the COVID-19 pandemic, under the condition that property owners agree to suspend all evictions of tenants unable to pay rent due to the impacts of COVID-19.
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Coronavirus - HUD
NLIHC, NHLP, and NAHT Send Letter to Top HUD Officials Urging Income Recertification Policy Action
NLIHC, the National Alliance of HUD Tenants (NAHT), and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) sent a letter to HUD urging the agency to take immediate action to mandate and streamline interim income recertifications. The letter was sent on March 26 to HUD Assistant Secretary for Housing Brian Montgomery and Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Hunter Kurtz.
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Second Update of Coronavirus FAQs from HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing
HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs (Multifamily), which oversees contracts with private owners of HUD-assisted properties, made more updates to its “Questions and Answers for Office of Multifamily Housing Stakeholders: Coronavirus (COVID-19)” (see Memo 3/23) on March 24. A total of 34 questions/answers were either updated or added. Twenty-two of the questions/answers pertain to multifamily closings from HUD’s Office of the General Council that are probably not of interest to most Memo readers. This article will highlight some of the other changes.
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Coronavirus – USDA and VA
USDA and VA Issue Guidance on Foreclosures and Evictions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on March 20 that it would be suspending foreclosures on borrowers with USDA Single-Family Housing Direct (SFHD) loans and on evictions of households in SFHD-secured properties for 60 days. The department also issued guidance to stakeholders on adjusting certification requirements to mitigate the potential risk posed by in-person interactions.
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NLIHC, NHLP, and HAC Send Letter to USDA RHS Administrator Urging Income Recertification Policy Action
NLIHC, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) sent a letter to USDA Rural Housing Service (RHS) Administrator Bruce Lammers to take immediate action to mandate and streamline interim income recertifications.
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Coronavirus - Other
CDC Advises Against Clearing Homeless Encampments if Alternate Housing Is Not Available During Coronavirus Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance on March 22 advising municipalities not to clear homeless encampments during the coronavirus outbreak unless individual housing units are available. Clearing encampments breaks connections between people experiencing homelessness and service providers and can increase the likelihood of spreading the disease to new communities.
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NLIHC Releases Interactive “Housing Instability and COVID-19 Map”
NLIHC released an interactive Housing Instability and COVID-19 Map, which helps visualize the extent of the need for housing assistance for low-income renters and people experiencing homelessness throughout the country. The map shows for each U.S. county the number of renters who are experiencing or are at-risk of housing instability, including extremely low-income renters who are severely housing cost-burdened or living in overcrowded conditions; the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Continuum of Care to which each county belongs; and which counties have confirmed COVID-19 cases.
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Recording of NLIHC’s March 23 “Coronavirus, Homelessness, and Housing” Call Now Available; Next Call Today at 2:30 pm ET
Over 2,000 organizers, advocates, housing and homelessness service providers, reporters, and legislative staff attended a national call on “Coronavirus, Homelessness, and Housing” hosted by NLIHC and the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) on March 23. The call featured updates from national, state, and local advocates and services providers working to assist 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 2:30 p.m. ET call featuring Representative Maxine Waters, Senator Jack Reed, and others at: https://bit.ly/2R2Xj2f
Read more of this article here
Additional Coronavirus Updates - 
Monday, March 30, 2020
NLIHC is hosting weekly national calls on COVID-19, homelessness, and housing every Monday afternoon. The next call is today (Monday, March 30) at 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. ET. Register for the national call at: https://tinyurl.com/t3oftj7
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) will continue to advocate 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.
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HUD
OIRA Receives Final Section 3 Rule
The final Section 3 rule was received from HUD by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on March 26. Comments on HUD’s proposed rule were due on June 3. OIRA will now review it and then return it to HUD, which will subsequently send it to the appropriate congressional subcommittees for a 15-day period before publishing the final rule in the Federal Register. When the final rule is published in Federal Register, NLIHC will summarize and analyze it for advocates.
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Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020 
State and National Policymakers Weigh Increased Absentee Voting
Over the past week, state and national policymakers have begun to explore how voters can safely exercise their right to vote without having to go to the polls—a protection that is crucial as the nation continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic. This exploration of possibilities includes expanding absentee or vote-by-mail options which make it easier and safer to vote.
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Opportunity Starts at Home 
Campaign Releases New Podcast Episode on Racial Equity and Housing
The Opportunity Starts at Home multisector affordable homes campaign released on March 26 its latest podcast episode, “Racial Equity and Housing,” featuring Amanda Andere, CEO of Funders Together to End Homelessness. Funders Together to End Homelessness mobilizes its members to utilize the voice, influence, and expertise of philanthropy in ways that will advance lasting solutions to ending homelessness, including addressing its underlying causes like structural and racial inequities, and helping create policies and systems that center people with lived expertise. It is the only philanthropic membership organization in the U.S. devoted to ending homelessness.
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Research
NLIHC Releases Spanish Edition of The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes (La Brecha: La Escacez de Viviendas Asequibles)
NLIHC released its annual report The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes in Spanish (La Brecha: La Escacez de Viviendas Asequibles). The report finds that extremely low-income renters in the U.S. face a shortage of 7 million affordable and available rental homes. Only 36 affordable and available homes existed for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in 2018. The report also examines in the racial inequities of the nation’s housing shortage and the connection between housing affordability and social justice.
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State Interventions in Land-Use Regulations Can Increase Access to Opportunity
An article in Housing Policy Debate, “State Affordable Housing Appeals Systems and Access to Opportunity: Evidence from the Northeastern United States,” finds evidence that legal systems that allow developers to request overrides of local land-use regulations can increase access to opportunity. The authors find that in several northeastern states with state affordable housing appeals systems (SAHASs), middle- to upper-income and low-poverty neighborhoods are more likely to accommodate below-market rate (BMR) housing units, compared to states without such a system. They also found evidence that Massachusetts’s system may be particularly effective at facilitating BMR production.
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Fact of the Week
Half of Households with Incomes Below Poverty Level Are Not Confident They Could Handle $400 Expense
Source: Urban Institute Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, December 2017
Census
Latinos and Immigrants in the 2020 Census
Accurate, detailed census data on Hispanic origin and race are necessary to enforce a broad array of civil rights protections, reveal disparate impacts of laws and policies, and ensure that programs meet the needs of diverse communities. These data guide a wide range of decisions made in the public and private sectors that affect the lives of Latinos and all American families and their children. The data help ensure fair and representative reapportionment and redistricting for Latino communities.
Read more of this article here
Event for Residents
Tenant Talk Live Webinar: Responding to Coronavirus, April 6
Join resident leaders and NLIHC staff for the next Tenant Talk Live webinar to discuss the impacts of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic and how you can advocate for needed resources and other protections for people experiencing homelessness and low-income renters in your community. The next Tenant Talk Live—a bimonthly call/webinar with resident leaders from across the country—will take place on Monday, April 6 at 6:00 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT, 4 p.m. MT, 3 p.m. PT).
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Events
NHLP to Conduct Webinar Introducing Its “Fair Chance Ordinances: An Advocate’s Toolkit”
The National Housing Law Project (NHLP) will conduct a webinar providing an overview of its new Fair Chance Ordinances: An Advocate's Toolkit, on April 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will also offer perspectives from organizers and advocates on the ground in key jurisdictions that have recently enacted fair chance ordinances.
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Reminder: Today, NHLP Webinar on Housing Rights for Domestic Violence Survivors Who Interact with Criminal Justice System
Today (March 30) at 3:00 p.m. ET the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) will conduct a webinar, “Housing Rights for Survivors of Domestic Violence Interacting with the Criminal Justice System.” Survivors of domestic violence may have engaged with the criminal justice system in ways that could potentially prevent them from living in safe, affordable, accessible housing. Often this engagement is directly related to the acts of abuse committed against them. The webinar will provide an overview of the intersection of an individual’s engagement with the criminal justice system and its impact on housing applicants seeking federally assisted and other housing.
Read more of this article here
From the Field
Maryland General Assembly Passes Bill to Prohibit Source-of-Income Discrimination
The Maryland General Assembly took a significant step toward ending housing discrimination by passing the “Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act” (HB 231/SB 530) on March 17. The HOME Act would prohibit landlords from discriminating against individuals who use Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) by adding “source of income” to the classes protected by current Maryland fair housing law. Senator Will Smith Jr. (D) and Delegate Brooke Lierman (D) introduced the companion bills, which passed the full legislature in overwhelming majorities.
Read more of this article here
NLIHC in the News
NLIHC in the News for the Week of March 22
The following are some of the news stories that NLIHC contributed to during the week of March 22:
- “Facing Eviction as Millions Shelter in Place,” The Tennessee Tribune, March 26 at: https://tinyurl.com/rosynnw
- “Opinion: I’m a Low-Wage Worker. I’m not Sacrificing Myself for the Stock Market.,” MarketWatch March 26 at: https://tinyurl.com/tdjx4hc
- “Washington Journal: Diane Yentel Discusses Coronavirus Pandemic's Impact on Housing & Homelessness,” C-Span, March 25 at: https://tinyurl.com/sjjknls
- “California’s renters and landlords are ‘just scared’ as job losses mount from coronavirus,” Los Angeles Times, March 25 at: https://tinyurl.com/v3d5bzd
- “Facing eviction as millions shelter in place,” The Washington Post, March 22 at: https://tinyurl.com/r99x8ho
- “Trump's coronavirus eviction freeze won't keep a roof over our heads, advocates say,” NBCNEWS.com, March 21 at: https://tinyurl.com/tap92h2
NLIHC STAFF
Sonya Acosta, Policy Analyst, x231
Jordan April, Research Intern, x249
Kyle Arbuckle, Housing Advocacy Organizer, x227
Andrew Aurand, Vice President for Research, x245
Victoria Bourret, Housing Advocacy Organizer, x244
Alayna Calabro, Field Intern, x252
Josephine Clarke, Executive Assistant, x226
Dan Emmanuel, Senior Research Analyst, x316
Ed Gramlich, Senior Advisor, x314
Kim Johnson, Housing Policy Analyst, x243
Mia Juliana, Graphic Design/Communication Intern, x240
Paul Kealey, Chief Operating Officer, x232
Mike Koprowski, Director, Multisector Housing Campaign, x317
Joseph Lindstrom, Director, Field Organizing, x222
Mayerline Louis-Juste, Communications Specialist, x201
Lisa Marlow, Manager, Media Relations and Communications,, x239
Tyra Reed, Policy Intern, x241
Sarah Saadian Mickelson, Vice President, Public Policy, x228
Khara Norris, Director of Administration, x242
Noah Patton, Housing Policy Analyst, x227
Ikra Rafi, Creative Services Specialist, x246
Catherine Reeves, Development Coordinator, x234
Brooke Schipporeit, Housing Advocacy Organizer, x233
Dan Threet, Research Analyst, x202
Chantelle Wilkinson, Housing Campaign Coordinator, x230
Renee Willis, Vice President for Field and Communications, x247
Diane Yentel, President and CEO, x225
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