Abstract
Affordable housing is a key determinant of health, and it has become a major issue for millions of vulnerable households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about Americans’ financial burdens in paying for housing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly after federal aid was initially distributed. In a randomized, representative survey of households nationally and in the four largest U.S. cities during the COVID-19 pandemic (n=3,454), we found widespread, serious burdens reported with paying for housing costs (including rent, mortgage, and utilities). Nationally, forty percent of households with employment disruptions (40%) reported serious financial problems paying their housing costs, including half or more in New York (50%), Los Angeles (50%), and Houston (60%). More than one-third of renters nationally (38%) and in the four largest U.S. cities (Houston – 59%, Los Angeles – 50%, New York City – 38%, Chicago – 37%) reported serious problems paying housing costs during this time. Serious cost burdens were concentrated among renters, Black and Hispanic households, and households with recent job or wage losses. The federal government earmarked limited funding specifically toward improving housing stability in December 2020, but it was a fraction of what is believed necessary to provide stability to the housing market for vulnerable groups. A patchwork of housing and financial protection programs are set to expire in 2021 with limited ongoing mechanisms to cover back rent or utility payments, widely placing vulnerable households at risk for health and economic problems unless further policy action is taken.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major upheavals to the U.S economy, leaving millions of households vulnerable for poverty, eviction, housing displacement, and homelessness [1,2,3,4,5]
Our findings show widespread cost burdens reported by renters, Blacks, Hispanics, and households with employment disruptions in major U.S cities and nationally; results which are supported by Census Bureau estimates showing 19 million Americans are behind on rent and mortgage payments [4, 8]
Federal policies have been limited in providing direct financial relief for renters, landlords, and utility companies during the pandemic. We expect these results to be a lower-bound estimate of financial housing strain, as we separately examined experiences of racial/ethnic minorities, renters, and households with employment disruption—groups that substantially overlap
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major upheavals to the U.S economy, leaving millions of households vulnerable for poverty, eviction, housing displacement, and homelessness [1,2,3,4,5]. This situation has been worsened by a lack of sustained federal policy protection for many households. After a five-month gap, in December 2020 the federal government offered a more limited economic relief package [6] It includes scaled back unemployment insurance benefits set to expire in March 2021; and limited rental and utilities assistance, with no requirements for utility companies to forego shut-offs. While the Biden administration extended the federal eviction moratorium until March 31, 2021 and proposed a $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan,” these measures are only a fraction of what is believed necessary to provide stability to the housing market for vulnerable groups over the decade
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