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Debt, despair, and doubling up with strangers: As tenants fall behind on rent they will do anything to stay current. My story for today's @nytimes. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/06/business/economy/housing-insecurity.html?referringSource=articleShare
Few things. The first is that, as important as it is to stop evictions, remember we still have an affordable housing shortage – despite job losses, vacancy rates for class c buildings are flat from a year ago – and this long term problem is the root of the disease.
The second is that, because of this shortage, there is significant number of informal tenants (sublets, people in garages, basements) who have few protections and are very hard to find. These renters are several times more likely than leased tenants to end up homeless.
It's very rare for someone who loses a proper lease to end up homeless. Around the country, surveys of homeless shelters/unsheltered folks overwhelmingly show a strong majority of experiencing homelessness were informally subleasing or living on a family member's couch etc.
For the past few months there's been a raging and continuing debate about how to most efficiently distribute rental funds, including whether or not people should have to document a lease or can instead attest/self-certify. Clearly, the latter does more to prevent homelessness.
That said, no matter what the Govt does, people who are marginally attached to the housing market are very hard to find. So don't forget the essential work of community nonprofits who need private donations. They are closer to the problem, and are more nimble with cash.
