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Nine million renters are behind on the rent. If Congress gets its act together & provides assistance to local govts, they should use some of that for emergency rent relief funds. Now's a great time to plan for more effective programs. My latest: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/12/08/to-weather-the-coming-eviction-crisis-cities-need-better-rent-relief-programs/
Most large cities put together rent relief funds during COVID-19 pandemic, but many have exhausted those funds. How cities choose to structure their programs has important implications for their effectiveness in helping vulnerable renters. Three key components to think about:
First, who's eligible to receive help? If programs use income cap based on pre-COVID annual income, that excludes renters who were doing OK before but have lost jobs/hours & need help. There's some ambiguity about using CARES Act funds to help immigrants--a hard-hit group.
Second, how do cities ration limited funds? (B/c there's never enough $ to cover all renters in need.) Setting up lottery among all eligible applicants is as fair a mechanism as any, & allows cities to measure unmet need -- which could help make the case for more state/fed funds.
Third, what's involved in applying for rent relief? Asking low-income people in unstable housing to scan lots of paperwork for online application is...not great. And staff at local govts are stretched thin, so keeping admin burden light on both sides has advantages.
More broadly, cities should think about how ALL their housing programs/policies work together (or don't). Is court system processing evictions aligned with rent relief programs? Having a point person coordinating housing efforts across multiple agencies can help.
One-time rent relief programs CANNOT substitute for long-term housing assistance. Poor renters who were chronically housing-insecure before COVID need long-term vouchers or subsidized hsg. Don't expect rent relief to "fix" long-term affordability problems. We need both.
It's super important for local govts to monitor effectiveness of their programs & tweak when necessary. That's tough even in good times, more so with tight resources now. Reach out to universities for help! Places like @FurmanCenterNYU @CAPolicyLab @LEOatND are great at this!
Bottom line: local rent relief programs are doing lots of heavy lifting keeping renters housed. Careful planning in program design & implementation can help these limited resources stretch farther & be more effective. (end)
