By Chantelle Wilkinson, NLIHC Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Campaigns and Julie Walker, NLIHC Project Manager, Opportunity Starts at Home
On September 24, 2026, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced the “Eviction Crisis Act” (S.5535), which sustains tools to help end the nation’s continuing eviction crisis. Among various other promising provisions, the legislation includes the creation of an Emergency Assistance Program to test, evaluate, and expand proven interventions to help low-income households facing housing instability due to an unexpected economic shock. This policy solution was developed and championed by the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, which worked closely with the bill’s sponsors. The reintroduction of this legislation marks a significant milestone for the campaign in advancing its policy agenda.
The Emergency Assistance Program is a permanent program—funded at $3 billion annually—to help stabilize households experiencing an economic shock before it causes instability and homelessness, which often require more prolonged, extensive, and expensive housing assistance. The Emergency Assistance Program is a competitive grant program administered by HUD with input from the Departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Agriculture (USDA). Eligible grantees include state, local, Tribal and territorial governments, and initial funding eligibility would be based on the number of very low-income renter households experiencing severe housing cost burdens or overcrowding, a jurisdiction’s unemployment rate, prior performance of the grantee, geographic diversity, and other factors.
The funds must be used to provide direct financial assistance to help households overcome a short-term crisis that directly impacts their housing stability. Up to 15% of funds can be used to provide housing stability-related services, such as case management, rehousing services, services to connect households to other public supports, some housing counseling-related services, and referrals to other services for behavioral, emotional, and mental health issues. The bill also requires a rigorous evaluation of the program’s effectiveness at preventing housing instability, and lessons learned from these evaluations will be incorporated into the program design.
Most families in poverty who rent spend at least half of their incomes on housing, leaving virtually no margin for unexpected expenses. Broken-down cars, unreimbursed medical bills, or temporary declines in income can quickly send vulnerable households down the spiral of housing instability, eviction, and even homelessness. If enacted, the Emergency Assistance Program could provide a blueprint for helping millions of low-income households that live on the edge of what they can afford.
Leading national organizations from the housing, education, health, civil rights, anti-hunger, anti-poverty, criminal justice, child welfare, and faith-based sectors have come together through the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing policies such as those included in the “Eviction Crisis Act.”
“For millions of households, one broken-down car, one unexpected medical bill, or a reduction in work hours could result in an eviction. The ‘Eviction Crisis Act,’ developed and advanced by NLIHC’s Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, would help to ensure that renters will not lose their homes because of a single unforeseen expense. No one should have to face losing their home because of one temporary financial setback. I applaud Senators Michael Bennet and Todd Young for their leadership in introducing this important legislation and advancing meaningful solutions to the national housing crisis. I urge Congress to pass this bill quickly,” said Renee M. Willis, NLIHC President and CEO.
Read the press release from Senator Bennet.
Read the fact sheet.
Send a letter to your federal elected officials urging them to support the “Eviction Crisis Act.”