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NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES
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| Campaign Urges Congress to Enact Housing Resources & Protections in Next COVID-19 Relief Package |
| Despite the growing threat of mass evictions, displacement and homelessness, Congress adjourned for August recess, leaving millions of renters and people experiencing homelessness without the resources and protections they need to remain stably housed. Congress must get back to work and immediately pass a coronavirus relief bill that includes the essential housing resources and protections included in the “HEROES Act.” |
| Prior to August recess, the campaign issued a statement addressing the inadequate and unacceptable bill proposed by Senate Republicans, called the “HEALS Act.” In the statement, prominent national leaders from various sectors offered remarks about why the Senate Republicans’ proposal is unacceptable and why Congress must include critical housing resources and protections in the next relief package. |
| Additionally, the campaign rallied leading organizations from the health sector to send a letter to Congress urging vital housing resources and protections in the next relief package. Signatories included groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Catholic Health Association of the United States, Cleveland Clinic, Healthcare Anchor Network, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and many more. “Without action from Congress,” the letter reads, “we are going to see a tsunami of evictions, and its fallout will directly impact the healthcare system and harm the health of families and individuals for years to come.” The letter demonstrates that housing advocates are not alone in their call for federal action. The healthcare community broadly recognizes that now, more than ever, housing is health. |
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TAKE ACTION NOW! Continue to call or email your senators and representatives to demand strong federal resources to protect people experiencing homelessness and to ensure all renters can keep roofs over their heads during and after the crisis.
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| New Podcast Episode with ZERO TO THREE |
| The campaign released its 25th podcast episode, entitled “Early Childhood Development & Housing Stability.” In this episode, the campaign spoke with Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor, Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE. Dr. Jones-Taylor discusses the research around baby and toddler development, persistent racial disparities, effective best practices, the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19, and why ZERO TO THREE is pushing Congress to invest in housing stability. ZERO TO THREE, which is a Roundtable member of the campaign, is a leading national nonprofit that works to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. |
| “Babies need a place to call home,” said Dr. Jones-Taylor. “Safe, affordable housing is at the heart of healthy early development. I can’t think of anything that is more foundational to young children’s well-being. The experience of the pandemic has laid bare that our systems for supporting the health and well-being of families with young children are threadbare to practically non-existent. For us, it’s important that Congress hears from the baby perspective so we can make this connection for them.” |
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| COVID-19, Housing Instability, and Student Achievement Closely Linked |
| COVID-19 related housing instability will have profound impacts on students’ well-being and academic performance, according to a new in-depth feature article reported by HuffPost and The Hechinger Report. Long before the pandemic, eviction numbers across the country were staggering, leaving school district officials struggling to serve children frequently on the move. The coronavirus and its associated economic shocks will exacerbate this long-standing problem, further disrupting students whose lives and learning progress have already been upended by school closures. |
| The article highlights numerous research studies that could help housing advocates make the case to elected officials that housing policy is education policy and make the case to education advocates why they should weigh in on housing policy. Among the research findings, for example, fifth graders who remained in their schools for three consecutive years were twice as likely to score at proficient or advanced levels on state academic achievement tests than children who switched schools. Eleventh graders who had attended the same high school for three consecutive years had higher GPAs and ACT scores than those who switched schools. The article also features interviews with school superintendents and school districts officials who explain why they are deeply concerned about the impacts of housing instability. |
| “Housing is everything,” said Melissa Douglas, the liaison for homeless students in the Kansas City Public Schools district. “Moving from place to place is an unwarranted stress on adults and students. We know that the more moves [kids’] families make, the more gaps in their education that they may have.” |
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| “Legal Levers for Health Equity in Housing”: New Webinar Series |
| The National Low Income Housing Coalition is co-sponsoring a new webinar series entitled “Legal Levers for Health Equity in Housing” in partnership with the National Center for Healthy Housing and the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Inspired by a recent series of reports, this webinar series explores the goal of health equity in housing through the lens of laws, policies, and other legal mechanisms to understand how those “levers” can establish safe, affordable housing in diverse neighborhoods. |
| In the first of a three-part series, “Creating Equitable, Diverse Neighborhoods and Communities,” presenters from Temple University, Oak Park Regional Housing Center, and the Inclusive Communities Project define the concept of health equity in housing and examine strategies to achieve this goal. Attendees were also encouraged to join the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. |
| The webinar recording is now available to view on YouTube. |
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