NHC is working with the ACTION Campaign to encourage mayors across the country to sign on to a letter to Congress in support of the recently reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral AHCIA of 2021, S. 1136 and H.R. 2573. The deadline for mayors to sign onto the letter has been extended to May 10. The letter will be sent to Congress to build support for the AHCIA. Mayors who have already signed the letter include, Mayors Jenny Durkan, Seattle, Washington; John Cooper, Nashville, Tennessee; Kate Gallego, Phoenix, Arizona; Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles, California; Barbara Halliday, Hayward, California; Michael B. Hancock, Denver, Colorado; Jim Kenney, Philadelphia Pennsylvania; and Lori E. Lightfoot, Chicago, Illinois, among others.

Please ask your mayor to sign on to the letter if they have not yet done so. Check out last year's letter and be sure to mention to your Mayor if they supported in the past. Mayors can contact Luke Villalobos, NHC’s Policy Director, to add their name or ask questions about the AHCIA.

Billions of dollars in federal emergency rent assistance (ERA) funds have been allocated for struggling renters since late last year, but state and local grantees are grappling with the massive task of distribution. With $46.5 billion in emergency funds still available, there is a steady push within the housing industry to move the money into the hands of the neediest tenants as quickly as possible.

The New York Times reported this week that 1 in 7 renters are behind on payments. Estimates of unpaid vary widely, from $8 billion to as high as $53 billion. The need for ERA was certain, but the rollout of the funds has been slow at best. States and large localities received distinct funding allocations, creating a patchwork of state and local programs that can be confusing for tenants to navigate. Several states have yet to begin accepting applications for the assistance, and others are overflowing with applications to be considered. California received 150,000 applications for ERA totaling $355 million, but only $1 million has made it to the applicants. In Texas, which received $1.3 billion from the federal government for ERA, only 250 applicants have actually received assistance.

The neediest tenants also face the toughest barriers. ERA applications are largely online, so applicants need both a computer and internet access in order to apply for assistance. Requirements for documentation proving an active lease and loss of income also create barriers and cause renters to abandon applications after starting them. The issue is not exclusive to renters: landlords who are unable to collect rent are also struggling to pay mortgages and tax bills as the relief is tied up in bureaucratic processes that differ by jurisdiction. Industry leaders are working to address issues with the rollout and have emphasized the importance of distributing ERA funds before the expiration of the CDC eviction moratorium on July 1.

An analysis from Bloomberg CityLab finds that while urban centers lost population during the pandemic, moves away from cities over the past year were a largely upper-class phenomenon. For example, data indicates that the ZIP codes in New York City had the most decrease in population, and the analysis cites a study that found that “propensity to move increased the most over the last year among young, highly educated urban dwellers.”

The Terner Center released a white paper making the case that housing is “critical infrastructure,” noting that “no part of the built environment more directly affects our daily lives than our homes.” The authors point out the historical precedents of treating housing as infrastructure, saying that policymakers understood housing as “a leading part of the solution” to the Great Depression.

A new working paper evaluates what has gone well and what has not gone well in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s first three-year Duty to Serve strategic planning cycle. Jim Gray and George McCarthy from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy also offer historical context on the Enterprises’ affordable housing mission responsibility. A four-page policy brief is also available.

HousingWire offers a look back at how President Biden's first 100 days in office have changed the housing landscape, discussing both higher profile efforts like federal eviction moratoria extensions and lesser known proposals like the American Families Plan's proposed elimination of 1031 exchanges on high-priced home purchases.

An op-ed in City & State New York argues that as “office space [goes] the way of the landline phone and fax machine,” New York City should convert unused commercial space into housing. “By flooding the rental and co-op markets with newly converted retail, office and hotel spaces, New York can serve as a beacon to other large cities in ensuring housing as a right – not a privilege – for all.”

Brookings: Analyzing Biden’s first 100 days, 10 – 11:30 a.m. ET

NH&RA: Spring Developers Forum, 1 – 3:30 p.m. ET 

HUD: Homebuyer assistance and down payment assistance and HOME monitoring, 1 – 3 p.m. ET

Enterprise: Reimagining affordable housing through the lens of trauma-resiliency, 1:30 – 3 p.m. ET

HUD: Preventing elder financial exploitation – tips & tools for housing counselors, 2 – 3 p.m. ET

MBA: The 2020 pandemic and other primary factors of urban exodus, 3 – 4 p.m. ET

NextCity: Beyond 100 days – fighting evictions, desegregating neighborhoods and winning public investments, 1 – 2 p.m. ET

Brookings: A conversation with Rep. Rosa DeLauro on priorities for congressional appropriations, noon – 1 p.m. ET

Enterprise: Faith, health & housing webinar – assessing your organization’s readiness, 1 – 2 p.m. ET

HUD: Tenant-based rental assistance and HOME monitoring, 1 – 3 p.m. ET

Terner Center: Addressing housing’s critical role as infrastructure, 9 – 10 a.m. ET

JCHS: Multidimensional housing insecurity – a new approach to measuring, understanding and addressing problems among renters, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. ET

WHF: What you need to know about the current financial market environments, noon – 1:30 p.m. ET