In a video released this week, Pandemic Response: Perspectives on Housing, national leaders in housing development provided the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with an in-depth look on the way COVID-19 has affected residents – and on the effectiveness of pandemic response programs as they relate to housing. Staying housed during this time is recognized as a public health issue.
Below are five highlights from NeighborWorks America's Marietta Rodriguez, president and CEO, on how the COVID-19 and pandemic response programs have affected the NeighborWorks network of nearly 240 organizations dedicated to strengthening communities. More comments from Rodriguez and the other leaders, Nani Coloretti, senior vice president for financial and business strategy at the Urban Institute, and Jenny Shuetz, senior fellow at the Metro Policy Program, are available in the video.
- "Stable housing must be the center of normalization as we go forward," Rodriguez says. "What the pandemic has underscored is what those of us working in housing have known for a long time: Home is at the center of everything."
- While moratoria on evictions and forbearances on mortgages are important in helping individuals manage finances and debt during COVID-19, "they aren't a panacea or a silver bullet," says Rodriguez "There's still a tremendous need for services, clear consistent guidance and information, and assistance." NeighborWorks network organizations who work with renters reported an uptick in demand for eviction prevention services, particularly in the last quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, Rodriguez says, a number of people missed out on nationwide offers of help when it came to some of the opt-in moratoria, because they didn't hear about it or because the information didn't come in the language they spoke. Communities most impacted include communities of color and residents earning a low- to moderate- income.
- As small landlords face financial instability, there is a worry that their affordable properties will be turned over to investors who won't maintain them as affordable housing. "We're already behind the eight ball in affordable inventory," Rodriguez says. "That will just exacerbate the problem."
- While December's supplemental appropriation improved on some of the weaknesses of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, "we're hearing from the network that the requirements for documentation of income lost is the biggest obstacle," Rodriguez says. There are gaps, and local nonprofits like NeighborWorks network organizations have been desperately trying to fill them. "They have pivoted to add new services that they haven't had to have before, such as food insecurity and food distribution sites," she adds.
- "As a result of this pandemic… many consumers are desperately looking for solutions and that includes remaining in their own homes," Rodriguez says. That desperation can lead to individuals falling victims to scams. In an in-network COVID-19 survey, 47% of NeighborWorks network organizations reported an increase in scam activities in comparison to pre-pandemic. As a result, NeighborWorks America has created the Stop Home Scams initiative. More information is available at StopHomeScams.org.
