NLIHC hosted a national HoUSed campaign call on July 17. We were joined by Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy Chad Maisel for a discussion about “All INside,” the Biden-Harris administration’s new initiative to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The initiative, a key part of the administration’s All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, establishes partnerships between the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), its 19 federal member agencies, and selected state and local governments to accelerate and strengthen local efforts to get people experiencing unsheltered homelessness into homes.
Henry Gomory, graduate research assistant at Eviction Lab at Princeton University, shared findings from a new research study examining the relationship between the cost of eviction filing fees and eviction rates. The study, “The Racially Disparate Influence of Filing Fees on Eviction Rates,” shows that eviction filing fees have a large impact on eviction practices: higher filing fees are associated with lower eviction filing rates and lower eviction judgement rates. The study also found that these effects are more pronounced in areas with majority Black populations, which suggests that lower eviction filing fees – which are associated with increased eviction filing rates and eviction judgement rates – disproportionately impact Black renters.
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Associate Director of the Office of Multifamily Analytics and Policy Siobhan Kelly joined the call to remind listeners about FHFA’s Request for Input (RFI) on tenant protections. FHFA provides financing for many multifamily rental properties across the country, so any renter protections created by the agency could cover a significant share of renters across the nation and put America on a path towards stronger protections for all renters. NLIHC’s Kayla Laywell, policy analyst, also joined the call to share opportunities for listeners to get involved, including by submitting their own comments to FHFA by July 31, using NLIHC’s sample RFI comment letter.
We received field updates from South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center’s Bach Pham, the organization’s digital strategy and communication manager, and Sloan Wilson, its housing justice organizer, who discussed the organization’s work expanding guaranteed legal representation for people facing eviction. Andrea Davis, executive director at Homeword, shared updates on her organization’s work increasing resources for affordable housing – including permanent supportive housing – in Montana.
NLIHC Policy Manager Kim Johnson provided an update on the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations process, including an overview of the House’s proposed Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) budget. The spending bill proposes deep cuts to or even elimination of some HUD programs but does – as NLIHC and our partners urged – adequately fund most rental assistance programs. Read NLIHC’s full analysis, and see our updated budget chart for more information.
A recording of the call, as well as the presentation slides, are now available.
Join NLIHC’s biweekly national HoUSed campaign call every other Monday at 2:30 pm ET to learn more about how to advance long-term solutions to end the housing crisis and achieve housing justice. The next national call will be held July 31 from 2:30 to 4 pm ET. Register for the call here: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan