One way to help alleviate homelessness is to keep vulnerable populations from losing theirs. This is why we are grateful for the work of Urban.org in prioritizing emergency rental assistance to keep renters in their homes by creating an interactive map to highlight where low-income renters face the greater risks of housing instability and homelessness to inform an equitable COVID-19 response.
According to the Urban.org…
The pandemic’s economic and health impacts are exacerbating the nation’s affordable housing and homelessness crises—adding more low-income renters to the millions already at risk of eviction and homelessness and widening racial disparities in housing instability. As eviction moratoriums end and states and localities allocate emergency rental assistance funds to help renters avoid losing their homes, local leaders must decide where to prioritize their resources.
To help inform those decisions, we’ve developed the Emergency Rental Assistance Priority Index. The index estimates the level of need in a census tract by measuring the prevalence of low-income renters who are at risk of experiencing housing instability and homelessness. To do this, it examines neighborhood conditions and demographics, incorporating instability risk factors before the pandemic as well as the pandemic’s economic impacts.
The index emphasizes an equitable approach, accounting for risk factors that are higher for certain groups, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latinx renters. These groups have been historically and systematically excluded from housing and economic opportunities and face greater health and economic impacts from COVID-19.
Continue reading… READ MORE at Urban.org
