Washington DC – On September 24, 2026 Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Todd Young (R-IN), reintroduced the Eviction Crisis Act (S.5535), which sustains tools to help end the nation’s continuing eviction crisis. Among various other promising provisions, the legislation includes the creation of an Emergency Assistance Program to test, evaluate, and expand proven interventions to help low-income households facing housing instability due to an unexpected economic shock. This policy solution was developed and championed by the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, which worked closely with the bill’s sponsors. The reintroduction of this legislation marks a significant milestone for the campaign in advancing its policy agenda.
The Emergency Assistance Program is a permanent program – funded at $3 billion annually – to help stabilize households experiencing an economic shock before it causes instability and homelessness, which often require more prolonged, extensive, and expensive housing assistance. The Emergency Assistance Program is a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with input from the Departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). Eligible grantees include state, local, tribal and territorial governments, and initial funding eligibility would be based on the number of very low-income renter households experiencing severe housing cost-burdens or overcrowding, a jurisdiction’s unemployment rate, prior performance of the grantee, geographic diversity, and other factors.
The funds must be used to provide direct financial assistance to help households overcome a short-term crisis that directly impacts their housing stability. Up to 15% of funds can be used to providing housing stability-related services, such as case management, rehousing services, services to connect households to other public supports, some housing counseling-related services, and referrals to other services for behavioral, emotional, and mental health issues. The bill also requires a rigorous evaluation of the program’s effectiveness at preventing housing instability, and lessons learned from these evaluations will be incorporated into the program design.
Most families in poverty who rent spend at least half of their incomes on housing, leaving virtually no margin for an unexpected expense. Broken-down cars, unreimbursed medical bills, or temporary declines of income can quickly send vulnerable households down the spiral of housing instability, eviction, and even homelessness. If enacted, the Emergency Assistance Program could provide a blueprint for helping millions of low-income households that live on the edge of what they can afford.
Leading national organizations from the housing, education, health, civil rights, anti-hunger, anti-poverty, criminal justice, child welfare, and faith-based sectors have come together through the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing policies such as those included in the Eviction Crisis Act.
“Today, an illness, a car accident, or a family emergency can lead to a family being evicted from their home and falling into a cycle of poverty,” said Senator Bennet. “The hardship caused by eviction is agonizing for the millions of American families facing it every year, and that harm reverberates across our communities. As a former school superintendent, I saw kids unable to stay awake in class because they didn’t have a stable place to sleep the night before. I’ve heard from many Coloradans about how one misstep led to their lives falling apart. Our Eviction Crisis Act will both prevent eviction and limit the harm when it is unavoidable.”
“Many families are one unexpected expense away from losing the stability that comes with having a place to call home,” said Senator Young. “The Eviction Crisis Act would help prevent avoidable evictions by better coordinating tenants, landlords, and municipalities to address housing instability before it becomes a crisis. Passing this bill will help more Hoosiers families stay in their homes.”
WHAT CAMPAIGN LEADERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE EVICTION CRISIS ACT
“For millions of households, one broken-down car, one unexpected medical bill, or a reduction in work hours could result in an eviction. The ‘Eviction Crisis Act,’ developed and advanced by NLIHC’s Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, would help to ensure that renters will not lose their homes because of a single unforeseen expense. No one should have to face losing their home because of one temporary financial setback. I applaud Senators Michael Bennet and Todd Young for their leadership in introducing this important legislation and advancing meaningful solutions to the national housing crisis. I urge Congress to pass this bill quickly.” – Renee M. Willis, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition
“When a family faces eviction, they not only face losing their housing – they face losing the foundation that makes every other opportunity possible. Stable housing is linked to healthy lives, educational success, economic mobility, and strong communities. The Eviction Crisis Act, championed by the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign and backed by substantial research, will ensure that we have thriving communities for everyone from the youngest to the eldest in our neighborhoods.” – Chantelle Wilkinson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns at the National Low Income Housing Coalition
“The new version of the Eviction Crisis Act will help communities prevent homelessness and provide important data that will take that work further in coming years. The bill will mean older adults, families with children, young people, people with disabilities, and others at the greatest risk will have more stable housing, an essential element for addressing other issues. We are grateful to Representative Bennet for his longstanding commitment to better housing for Americans.” – Ann Oliva, Chief Executive Officer at the National Alliance to End Homelessness
“Children in families that have experienced eviction are more likely to be in poor health, be at risk for developmental delays, have mothers who report depression, and live in households struggling with food insecurity. These harms can occur whether a family is removed through a formal court process or forced from their home outside the legal system. The reintroduction of the Eviction Crisis Act gives Congress a critical opportunity to help families weather a short-term financial crisis before it becomes a cascade of displacement and harm. The Act would also provide comprehensive data policymakers need to track the eviction crisis’ scope, including disparities, to inform evidence-based policymaking.” –Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, PhD, MPH, Executive Director, Children’s HealthWatch
“In a given year, as many as 3 million eviction notices are issued nationally. Such numbers leave little doubt that there is an eviction crisis in America. For that reason, passing the Eviction Crisis Act of 2026 is essential for staving off individual and family homelessness, and instability — which disproportionately impacts low-income families and families of color.” — Mel Wilson, Senior Policy Advisor at the National Association of Social Workers
“Every eviction prevented is a family spared the trauma and instability that can have lasting effects on children. At Family Promise, the national leader advancing proven community-based solutions to prevent and end family homelessness, we see every day that early interventions, including eviction prevention, emergency financial assistance, and housing stabilization services, help keep families and children safely housed and prevent crises before they begin. We applaud Senator Bennet and Senator Young for reintroducing the bipartisan Eviction Crisis Act, which would expand access to proven supports, strengthen eviction data, and improve access to legal and social services for families facing housing instability. We look forward to working with Congress to advance solutions that help more children and families remain safely housed.” – Carolyn Gordon, Chief Network and Program Officer, Family Promise
“We’re honored to continue this critically important work with Senator Bennet to support low-income renters who are struggling with rising housing costs due to inflation, lack of housing supply, and a failure to invest in households with the greatest need. Homelessness doesn’t happen in a vacuum but is a direct result of housing instability due to rising housing costs and the lack of support for low-income households who are struggling every day to make ends meet. Making investments like the ones proposed by the Eviction Crisis Act will not only help our most marginalized households stay stably housed, it’s a better use of taxpayer resources than expensive spending demanded by the emergency services required to address homelessness.” – Cathy Alderman, Chief Communications and Public Policy Officer for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
“On the receiving end of any eviction notice is a household facing crisis, one that threatens to destabilize them physically, emotionally, and financially. We know that eviction can be a very short and narrow road to homelessness. We are grateful to see the Eviction Crisis Act back under consideration in the Senate as the data tells us that it is as necessary now as it was five years ago.” – Aspen Clemons, Executive Director, Prosperity Indiana
Read the press release from Senator Bennet here.
Read the fact sheet.
Send a letter to your federal elected officials urging them to support the Eviction Crisis Act here.