The COVID-19 public health crisis might be the greatest blow dealt to the American low-income housing industry in modern history. Our national housing ecosystem, serving populations with acute needs prior to the pandemic, is currently faced with obstacles that could take months or years to overcome. With the affordable and public housing industries across the country feeling the deep impacts of this crisis, we\u2019re taking a look at how these sectors are struggling, what\u2019s being done to help them, and what it will take to weather this storm together.<\/p>\n
As of right now, our low-income populations, many residing in the developments operated by MRI\u2019s Affordable and Public Housing clients, are feeling the effects of the pandemic at a disproportionate rate. These struggles are not new for them \u2013 they\u2019re just intensified by the pandemic. According to a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)<\/a>, almost 10 million low-income households were severely housing cost-burdened before the start of the pandemic, spending more than half of their income on rent.<\/p>\n The challenges facing affordable and public housing are even more pronounced when considering this article from Urban Institute<\/a>, which points out that most low-income residents who have lost their jobs as a result of this crisis don\u2019t have enough savings to cover rent for months to come. In 2018, nearly half (20 million) of all renters paid more than 30% of their income on housing costs and a quarter (11 million) paid more than half their income on housing. As of 2016, only one in five renters who qualified for and needed housing assistance received it.<\/p>\n The unwavering commitment our industry requires during the pandemic is on full display at our affordable and public housing communities from coast to coast. Resource-constrained management and maintenance staff are working around the clock \u2013 helping residents practice social distancing, especially senior residents (the most vulnerable), maintaining constant communication with staff and residents, responding to emergency repairs, and endlessly disinfecting common areas \u2013 in addition to performing their normal operational tasks.<\/p>\n Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF)<\/a>, the nonprofit collaborative of thirteen multi-state nonprofit affordable housing providers, has launched a COVID-19 resource page<\/a> to help resident services practitioners, and those directly working to meet resident needs, to access and share useful information, tools, and templates. The SAHF resource page was developed in large part to support property management staff and residents and to bring external resources to help practitioners operate during the health crisis. The list of SAHF COVID-19 resources include guidance for frontline staff and templates developed by SAHF members such as Mercy Housing and Volunteers of America, COVID-19 housing operations guides, and templates other operators can use for their communities.<\/p>\n At MRI\u2019s Affordable and Public Housing<\/a> group, we\u2019re trying to do our part as well, helping our clients weather the storm by focusing on the products, services and resources they need the most to do their jobs. As many of our clients continue to work from home with the immense challenge of keeping their residents safe and healthy while continuing their normal operations, remote connectivity, electronic communication and automation are more important than ever. In response to these critical needs, we have shifted our focus to products that are of the greatest needs to the industry \u2013 SaaS migrations for hosting, Assistance Connect<\/a> for resident and owner online communication, Callmax Automated Communications<\/a> for emergency maintenance, package tracking and resident contacts.<\/p>\n We\u2019re a technology and services provider in a network that relies upon a host of interdependent players \u2013 developers, builders, owners, property managers, investors, lenders, government agencies, lawyers, accountants, consultants and housing advocates, to name a few. No single part of the industry can possibly save the entire system, but each segment has an important role to play. As we help one another we can create a bright future for the low-income housing community.<\/p>\n How can we help to address these challenges? Some housing advocates are asking for additional commitment and coordination from all areas, including all levels of government. State and local government, for instance, can use the CARES Act<\/a>\u2019s funding flexibility to stabilize low-income renter households including offering rental assistance.<\/p>\n A long-term resolution to the issues plaguing the low-income housing industry (especially addressing the supply constraint), however, requires more. Although Congress may include policies in their next relief bill that would ensure renters can stay in their homes throughout this crisis, housing policy advocates are lobbying lawmakers to promote maximum housing stability by providing more funding for long-term rental assistance.<\/p>\n Affordable housing production also requires better support. The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition<\/a> and its partners in the ACTION Campaign are lobbying Congress to provide more short-term and long-term relief for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit<\/a> program. The proposals include measures aimed at increasing the overall production of affordable units \u2013 one of the fundamental shortcomings of the industry pre-COVID-19 and likely to worsen if we don\u2019t respond quickly and comprehensively.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s currently being done to help the industry<\/h3>\n
What still needs to be done to protect affordable and public housing<\/h3>\n