At any given time, 568,000 people are experiencing houselessness1 in the United States — and more than half of all houseless families are Black.2
The numbers are even more staggering if we take into account families that spend over a third of their monthly income on housing — which means with any loss of income, these community members could face houselessness.
We are in the midst of not only an unprecedented health crisis with the coronavirus pandemic, but are also entering the coldest months of the year. Our elected officials must prioritize safe, equitable housing for everyone, especially now.
Sign if you agree: Housing is a human right. Congress must ensure all communities have housing.
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The issue goes deeper — nearly 200 corporate landlords have received $320 million in federal pandemic relief funds yet continue to evict thousands of tenants in just a seven month span last year.3
So, not only are corporations stealing public dollars, they are still using the pandemic to take advantage of working class families, displacing them as they suffer from COVID-19 and the economic recession. This is cruel.
This pandemic has laid bare economic and racial inequities in our country across the board, including in housing. And while President Joe Biden has taken an important first step in extending the federal eviction moratorium, we have so much more to do.
Congress must work to pass the several housing bills on the table that would protect renters from eviction by cancelling rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the pandemic, committing to a #HomesGuarantee for 12 million people by allocating $1 trillion to public housing, and much more.
Add your name: Urge your lawmakers to pass progressive housing legislation before time runs out.
In solidarity,
LeftNet
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1.
National Alliance to End Homelessness: "State of Homelessness: 2020 Edition"
2.
ABC News: "More than 50% of homeless families are black, government report finds"
3.
Common Dreams: 'Subsidizing the Spread of Covid': Report Shows Corporate Landlords Received Public Funding Yet Still Kicked Out Tenants
