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From: National Low Income Housing Coalition <npatton@nlihc.org>
Date: Mon, May 4, 2020 at 6:56 PM
Subject: DHRC COVID-19 Update 05.04.2020
To: <maureenhowardconsulting@gmail.com>

National Low Income Housing Coalition

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Dear DHRC members and partners,

We have great news to announce! Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Representative Denny Heck (D-WA), and over seventy original cosponsors will soon introduce the “Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act” to provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help keep the lowest-income renters stably housed during the coronavirus pandemic. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, will introduce companion legislation this week. To learn more about the legislation, see NLIHC’s factsheet on the “Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act.”

Please contact your senators and representatives TODAY and TOMORROW and urge them join as original cosponsors to the “Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act” and ensure that it is included in the next coronavirus relief package!

Look up the phone numbers of your members of Congress here or send an email from NLIHC’s Legislative Action Center. Don’t forget to tweet about it using the hashtag #RentReliefNow and tag your member of Congress. If you’re part of a national organization, show your support for this critical legislation by signing onto this letter.

Many thanks to all who joined this afternoon's National Call on Coronavirus and Homelessness/Housing. Representative David Price (D-NC) spoke about the pressing needs for homeless and housing-insecure individuals during the pandemic, Nan Roman of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) spoke about a new framework for COVID-19 homelessness response, Chandra Crawford from NAEH discussed racial inequities, Joseph Geleta of the New Jersey Department of Human Services discussed using FEMA resources, and we heard from Solomon Greene of the Urban Institute on models for state/local assistance, as well as field updates from Arizona, Puerto Rico, and South Dakota. You can find a recording of the call as well as the presentation slides and up-to-date news and resources on NLIHC’s website at: https://nlihc.org/coronavirus-and-housing-homelessness.

Additional updates below.

Coronavirus Update, May 4, 2020

Please note that NLIHC will be hosting weekly national calls on COVID-19 and housing/homelessness every Monday afternoon. The call is next Monday, May 11 at 2:30pm to 4:00pm ET. Register for the call here: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan

New Resource:

NLIHC developed a “Getting to Yes” document to help advocates ensure robust FEMA resources to help prevent and respond to an outbreak among people experiencing homelessness and people living in congregate settings. The document outlines key recommendations for advocates seeking to maximize FEMA resources in their states.

NLIHC is also maintaining a COVID-19/Housing and Homelessness News and Resource page here.

National Updates

FEMA
FEMA announced approval of 30 states and the District of Columbia for its Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training program. Crisis Counseling, part of FEMA’s Individual Assistance programs, is a mental health assistance program that provides short-term interventions, intake, and referral mental health services for disaster survivors.

Federal Housing Finance Administration
FHFA announced on May 4 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have developed online multifamily property lookup tools to help renters find out if they are protected from evictions during the pandemic.

Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Ben Carson announced on May 1 that HUD will allocate $685 million in CARES Act funding to keep low-income residents of public housing safe during the pandemic. The funds will be allocated through the Public Housing Operating Fund and can be used for personal protective equipment, childcare costs, travel costs, and additional actions.

Advocacy
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition will continue to push for a broad array of resources and protections, including emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention assistance, a national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and emergency funds for homelessness service providers, housing authorities, and housing providers, among other recommendations. For more information, see DHRC’s full list of recommendations, which will continue to be expanded and refined.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities developed a framework that provides guidance for how homelessness systems can leverage the CARES Act and other funding sources to conduct emergency protective measures while also planning for recovery-oriented uses of these funds. All components of the “Framework for COVID-19 Homelessness Response: Responding to the Intersecting Crises of Homelessness and COVID-19” include a racial justice and equity lens.

Reporting
NLIHC President and CEO was quoted in a Washington Post article emphasizing the need for emergency rental assistance to ensure that renters remain stably housed after the moratoriums are lifted.

The Washington Post examined the traumatic experiences that people experiencing homelessness in New York City are facing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Politico explored the pandemic’s potential impact on the racial wealth gap, highlighting racial disparities in homeownership. The article also discussed proposals from Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) to include billions of dollars in rental assistance in the next relief package.

A group of Native American tribes is suing the Treasury Department for failing to distribute $8 billion in federal coronavirus relief that was allocated for tribes in the CARES Act. The Treasury Department missed its April 26 deadline to distribute the funds, which was 30 days after the CARES Act passed.

Many landlords are bracing for a wave of non-payments due to the pandemic.

Vox explored the impact of the coronavirus on rural America, discussing the uptick of outbreaks in certain areas and the factors that place rural communities at risk.

State and Local News
A list of local eviction and foreclosure moratoriums is available here from NLIHC.

A list of state and local emergency rental assistance programs is available here from NLIHC.

A list of local shelter closings is available here from NLIHC.

California
Homeless activists in Los Angeles are urging Mayor Eric Garcetti to use his emergency powers to commandeer hotels and motels to provide much needed shelter for people experiencing homelessness amid the pandemic.

Colorado
COVID-19 is creating opportunities for novel legal strategies for challenging cities and states to ensure that all residents have access to safe housing. An attorney representing advocacy groups and two people experiencing homelessness is arguing that Colorado should provide safe housing for people experiencing homelessness, citing the existence of an equal protection violation since housed residents are better able to obey the state’s stay-at-home order.

Florida
Homeless shelters in Florida have been adjusting their operations amid the pandemic, including imposing social distancing measures, increasing food outreach, and limiting new intakes in certain cases.

Illinois
Organizations in McHenry County are working to protect people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, making adjustments to their operations to adhere to guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and orders from the governor.

Louisiana
A program to provide hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness who had been living at an encampment in New Orleans will be extended. Nearly 200 people have been given shelter in two hotels since state and city officials began the 30-day hotel program after discovering a rodent infestation at the New Orleans encampment.

Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state received approval from FEMA to provide housing alternatives, including hotels and motels, for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.

A caterer from Ann Arbor, Stacy Williams, has been delivering meals to frontline medical staff at Michigan Medicine and St. Joseph Mercy hospitals. Williams has also teamed up with Pastor Vicky Lovell to provide food to people experiencing homelessness at four sites that are providing 24-hour shelter.

Minnesota
More than 300 health care workers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, and social workers signed a petition urging state and local officials to address the immediate survival needs of people experiencing homelessness. Read the op-ed in the Star Tribune here.

After issuing an executive order on March 25 prohibiting law enforcement from clearing encampments, Governor Tim Walz reversed his position on April 29. Emergency Executive Order 20-47 allows homeless encampments to be swept if they pose health and safety risks.

Missouri
St. Louis officials cleared an encampment with approximately 100 tents over the last several days. A lawsuit was filed to stop the city from sweeping the encampment, but a federal judge denied the request.

New Hampshire
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig announced new measures on April 30 to protect people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, including a city-sanctioned temporary camp. City officials have provided portable toilets and sinks, as well as started delivering meals to an encampment. In a letter to the community, the mayor emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships to expand services for people experiencing homelessness in Manchester and across New Hampshire.

New Jersey
The city of Passaic is increasing efforts to test people experiencing homelessness for the coronavirus, including opening a testing site at its North Hudson Community Center. The city recently opened Dignity House, a resource center for people experiencing homelessness.

Advocacy groups and shelter providers in New Jersey are preparing for an increased demand for their services once the state reopens and the eviction moratorium is lifted. Over the last month in Morris County, there has been a 30% increase to the coordinated entry list for shelters.

New York
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is opposing legislation introduced by the city council that would offer all people experiencing homelessness – 12,000 people in total – the option to stay in the 100,000 vacant private hotel rooms across the city. While de Blasio’s administration argues that the city does not have the funds to afford this, FEMA could likely cover the cost of the program.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the subway shutdown to clean the trains offers an opportunity to engage with people experiencing homelessness who have been using the subway as shelter.

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania released new guidance for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, including a temporary suspension on evictions and foreclosures. The Department of Human Services is establishing a Sheltering Taskforce to provide services to people who are unable to self-isolate. Rental assistance is available through the Housing Assistance Program, and the Department of Community and Economic Development plans to issue multiple Emergency Solution Grants.

Texas
The city of Dallas began accepting applications for rental and mortgage assistance through an online portal on May 4. Due to high volume, however, many people reported difficulties in accessing the online rental and mortgage assistance website.

Chow Train, a food truck and nonprofit founded in 2011, has cooked nearly 45,000 meals for people experiencing homelessness in San Antonio.

Washington
The threat of COVID-19 has led local leaders in Western Washington to take drastic actions to address homelessness. Seattle and King County have moved people experiencing homelessness into hotels, installed new hygiene stations, and prohibits encampment sweeps. Advocates hope that this new approach to addressing homelessness will continue even after the acute crisis has passed.

Guidance

FEMA
COVID-19: FEMA Assistance for Tribal Governments - May 1, 2020

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.

DISASTER HOUSING RECOVERY COALITION, C/O NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION
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