Campaign Outlines Priorities for Biden Transition Team
On November 12, the campaign sent a memo to President-elect Biden and his transition team, urging the new administration to address affordable housing challenges for people with the greatest needs within its first 100 days in office. Throughout the presidential campaign, President-elect Biden focused on the importance of affordable housing and articulated a robust housing plan which aligns with many of the campaign’s priorities. As the incoming administration seeks to fulfill its campaign pledge of “building back better,” housing affordability should be considered a top-tier urgent priority.
To address the most urgent housing needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration must work with Congress to immediately pass a coronavirus relief bill that includes:
$100 billion in emergency rental assistance
National, uniform eviction moratorium
At least $11.5 billion in homeless assistance funding
$26 billion for 500,000 new Housing Choice Vouchers
To promote housing stability over the long run, the Biden administration must work with Congress to:
Dramatically expand rental assistance so that every qualified household receives help
Dramatically expand the supply of housing affordable to the lowest income people
Create a permanent Emergency Assistance Fund that would offer short-term financial assistance and stability services to help households facing economic shocks
Racial Inequities in Housing Fact Sheet Available Now
The campaign published a new fact sheet on its website, entitled “Racial Inequities in Housing.” The downloadable fact sheet explains how racial disparities manifest in housing and which historical policies caused these disparities; how racial disparities in housing impact other sectors; how some modern-day policies and practices continue to exacerbate the problem; and how the campaign’s federal policy agenda could help advance racial equity and ensure that people most in need receive the most help. The fact sheet was built in conjunction with the campaign’s multi-sector Racial Equity Working Group.
New Dashboard from UniodosUS Tracks COVID Housing Data for Latino Community
A new interactive dashboard released by UnidosUS in partnership with the Population Reference Bureau provides recent data on the impact of COVID-19 on Latino communities across a range of issues. The dashboard, entitled “By the Numbers: Latinos in the Time of Coronavirus,” reveals national and state-specific trends in six key states including Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Colorado.
The dashboard uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey to provide bi-weekly data with race/ethnicity comparisons for seven indicators including:
Housing (missed rent or mortgage payments)
Loss of employment income
Health insurance coverage (overall/public/private)
Food insufficiency
Mental health (anxiety)
Education (classes cancelled or moved to distance learning)
Access to technology for children’s education (computers or internet)
“Latino workers and families have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic across nearly every aspect of their lives, which will have repercussions for years to come,” write the dashboard’s authors.
UnidosUS is the nation’s largest Latino nonprofit advocacy organization and is a Steering Committee member of the Opportunity Starts at Home multisector affordable homes campaign.
New Report from ZERO TO THREE Includes Housing Policy Recommendations
ZERO TO THREE, the nation’s leading early childhood development nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life, released a new report entitled “Building for the Future: Strong Policies for Babies and Families after COVID-19.” The report highlights the impact of the pandemic on families with young children and recommends specific policy solutions to build strong families for the future, including an array of recommendations which are aligned with the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign’s federal housing policy agenda.
According to the report, “Congress should immediately provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to be combined with an extended and expanded federal eviction and foreclosure moratorium for 12 months to carry families through the pandemic; bridge the gap between rents and income for the most overburdened and under resourced households through increased investments in rental assistance, including a new subset of ‘Opportunity Vouchers’ designed for families with young children to expand access to safe neighborhoods with strong schools, better employment prospects, and other opportunities; expand the stock of housing affordable to households with low incomes; and stabilize households by providing emergency assistance to avert housing instability and homelessness.”
ZERO TO THREE is a Roundtable member of the Opportunity Starts at Home multi-sector affordable homes campaign.
