July 1, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 121 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
EMERGENCY HOUSING PROTECTIONS AND RELIEF ACT OF 2020; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 121
(Extensions of Remarks - July 01, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E600-E603] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] EMERGENCY HOUSING PROTECTIONS AND RELIEF ACT OF 2020 ______ speech of HON. MAXINE WATERS of california in the house of representatives Monday, June 29, 2020 Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letters: 1. A letter on behalf of 600 organizations in support of the housing provisions included in the Heroes Act, which are the same provisions included in the bill we are considering today, H.R. 7301. 2. A letter on behalf of over 800 national, state, and local organizations in support of H.R. 6820, the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act of 2020, which is also included in H.R. 7301. 3. A letter from the National Urban League in support of H.R. 7301. 4. A letter from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force in support of H.R. 7301. 5. A letter from the National Alliance to End Homelessness in support of H.R. 7301 June 29, 2020. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Washington, DC. Hon. Chuck Schumer, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Washington, DC. Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy: We, the National Low Income Housing Coalition on behalf of more than 600 national, state, and local organizations across the country, urge you to immediately enact the critical housing investments and protections included in the ``Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 202Q'' (H.R. 7301) and the ``Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act'' to address the health and housing needs of America's lowest-income renters and people experiencing homelessness during and after the coronavirus pandemic. Every day that Congress waits to enact this vital legislation, policymakers put millions of low-income people-- including seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, low-wage workers and other individuals who were already struggling to pay rent before the current pandemic-- at risk of eviction and homelessness. Without the protections and resources in H.R. 7301 and the HEROES Act, our nation will see an increase in homelessness as renters lose their homes. The ``Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)'' included $12 billion in housing and homelessness resources and other critical protections for low-income renters. This bill was an important first step, but far more resources are needed to protect those individuals living on the brink. While the CARES Act's stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits will certainly help, they only last a short duration, many people with the greatest needs are facing challenges in accessing these resources, and even those who were successful in receiving these benefits will still be severely rent-burdened and at risk of homelessness unless Congress provides targeted assistance. Even before the pandemic, people of color were significantly more likely than white people to experience housing instability, [[Page E601]] evictions, and homelessness, the result of centuries of institutional racism and economic inequity. People of color will also likely experience greater burdens in the aftermath of the acute crisis. In addition to facing higher mortality rates, people of color are more likely to be impacted by job insecurity, food insecurity, housing instability and homelessness. Homeless Assistance Funds To address these challenges, H.R. 7301 and the HEROES Act provide the full $11.5 billion needed to prevent and respond to outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness, who are at a higher risk of severe illness and death due to the disease. People who are homeless and contract coronavirus are twice as likely to be hospitalized, two to four times as likely to require critical care, and two to three times as likely to die than others in the general public. If unchecked, as many as 20,000 people who are homeless could require hospitalization and nearly 3,500 could die. This has enormous implications for individuals, their communities, and our already overstretched hospital systems. These funds are needed to minimize the number of people living in homeless encampments and congregate shelters and identify alternative space, including hotels, for isolation and self-quarantine. National, Uniform Moratorium on Evictions The HEROES Act and H.R. 7301 include a uniform, 12-month eviction and foreclosure moratorium policy to protect all renters and homeowners at a time when our collective health depends on each of us staying home. In the CARES Act, Congress instituted a shorter, temporary moratorium for only some renters and homeowners in federally subsidized housing. NLIHC created a searchable database and map to help renters determine whether they are protected under the CARES Act, but these tools are not complete because not all data is publicly available. States and localities have also instituted their own eviction and foreclosure moratoriums, creating a patchwork of responses--many of which expire in the coming weeks--that provides relief to only some and creates confusion that has allowed some landlords to move forward with illegal evictions. Emergency Rental Assistance To help keep low-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, low-wage workers, and other individuals stably housed, the HEROES Act and H.R. 7301 include the ``Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act'' proposed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA) and 145 House cosponsors and 35 Senate cosponsors to provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. Research from the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed. Emergency rental assistance provides direct support to renters in need--including those who have lost jobs or wages due to the pandemic--to help them shelter in place and avoid housing instability. A moratorium on evictions offers renters some important protections, but rent arrears will accumulate. People who have lost income as a result of the pandemic will struggle to cover large sums of back-rent once it comes due. Without emergency rental assistance, these households will face the destabilizing impacts of evictions and, in worst cases, homelessness, with enormous negative consequences for individuals, their communities, and our economy. Emergency rental assistance is also necessary to ensure the continued viability of our country's essential affordable housing infrastructure. The HEROES Act and H.R. 7301 also provide an additional $13 billion to further address housing instability, including 100,000 new emergency housing vouchers targeted to people with the greatest needs, including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and survivors of domestic violence. We urge you to immediate enact to immediately provide the critical resources and protections included in H.R. 7301 and the HEROES Act to prevent evictions and homelessness and promote housing stability among those individuals with the greatest needs during and after this crisis. ____ June 29, 2020. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Washington, DC. Hon. Chuck Schumer, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Washington, DC. Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy: We, the National Low Income Housing Coalition on behalf of more than 800 national, state, and local organizations across the country, urge you to address in the next coronavirus relief package the urgent health and housing needs of America's lowest-income renter households--8 million of which were struggling to pay rent and make ends meet before the current coronavirus pandemic and who now are facing increased risks of evictions and homelessness. To avert a surge in evictions and homelessness, we urge you to include in any comprehensive coronavirus relief package the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act proposed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) to provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help keep America's low-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, low-wage workers, and others stably housed during this crisis. The ``Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)'' included $12 billion in housing and homelessness resources and other critical protections for low-income renters. This bill was an important first step, but far more resources are needed to protect those individuals living on the brink. While the CARES Act's stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits will certainly help, they only last a short duration, many people with the greatest needs are facing challenges in accessing these resources, and even those who were successful in receiving these benefits will still be severely rent-burdened and at risk of homelessness unless Congress provides targeted emergency rental assistance. Research from the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed. Even before the pandemic, people of color were significantly more likely than white people to experience evictions and homelessness, the result of centuries of institutional racism and economic inequity. People of color will also likely experience greater burdens in the aftermath of the acute crisis. In addition to facing higher mortality rates in their communities, the economic impact of COVID-19 will likely increase rates of job insecurity, food insecurity, housing instability and homelessness. Emergency rental assistance provides direct support to people who have lost jobs to help them shelter in place and avoid housing instability during and after the pandemic. Temporary moratoria on evictions offer temporary protections for some renters, but rent arrears will accumulate. People who have lost income as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak will struggle to cover large sums of back-rent once it comes due. Without emergency rental assistance, these households will face the destabilizing impacts of evictions and, in worst cases, homelessness, with enormous negative consequences for individuals, their communities, and our economy. Emergency rental assistance is also necessary to ensure the continued viability of our country's essential affordable housing infrastructure. In enacted, the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act would provide states, localities, territories, and tribes with flexible resources to provide direct support to households in need with short-and medium- term rental assistance or to cover up to 6 months of back rent and late fees. The funds may also be used to stabilize households by helping to address the cost of security deposits and utility deposits and payments, among other expenses. These funds are designed to reach people in need quickly and directly; half of the funds must be allocated to states and local governments within 7 days. The Emergency Solutions Grants program utilized in this legislative proposal was modelled by Congress on the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRP) program created and used successfully in the aftermath the 2008 financial crisis. We urge you to include in any comprehensive coronavirus relief package the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act to prevent evictions and homelessness and promote housing stability among those individuals with the greatest needs during and after this crisis. ____ National Urban League, June 29, 2020. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representatives: On behalf of the National Urban League and our 90 affiliates across 36 states, I write to express strong support for the important housing assistance provisions included in the ``Emergency Housing Protections And Relief Act of 2020'' (H.R. 7301). As Congress considers further legislation to help combat the many devastating economic impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, passage of the sweeping housing assistance measures included in H.R. 7301 will be crucial to ensuring that American families are given the tools they need to adequately navigate this unprecedented crisis. We urge members to vote in favor of this legislation when it comes to the House floor for a vote. As you know, the collapse of our nation's economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic marked a formal end to 128-months of economic expansion that started when the U.S. began recovering from the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, and the beginning of another prolonged downturn. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic will shrink the size of the U.S. economy by roughly $8 trillion over the next decade. The worsening economic outlook will unfortunately lead to even higher unemployment, lower wages, and significantly less income for working families nationwide, many of whom were struggling to make ends meet long before the pandemic hit. According to a May 2020 survey released by the Federal Reserve, nearly 40% of U.S. adults reported lacking enough savings or cash on hand to cover an unexpected emergency of $400 or more without needing to borrow. Additionally, 32% of all U.S. renters reported being unable to pay their full rent last month while more than 4.2 million homeowners [[Page E602]] needed to request forbearance on their mortgages due to COVID-19 related financial hardships. Without additional legislation from Congress, our nation may soon face unprecedented levels of evictions and foreclosures that will increase homelessness and ultimately many harm our economic recovery. The housing assistance protections included as part of H.R. 7301 are particularly important in light of the many financial challenges homeowners and renters nationwide will continue to face as a result of this pandemic. As such, the bill's inclusion of $100 billion for the creation of an emergency rental assistance fund aimed at helping renters meet financial obligations such as rent, property taxes, property taxes, and unpaid utilities will be crucial to ensuring a faster recovery for workers takes place after this pandemic has subsided. The extension of existing federal eviction moratoriums through at least March 2021 will also provide important assurances for families faced with COVID- 19-related financial hardships during these challenging times. As Americans continue to face economic circumstances that threaten their financial and housing insecurity, the bill's inclusion of additional resources for federally assisted housing programs such as public housing and Section 8 will help keep them affordable and available to those who need them. Moreover, the dedication of $11.5 billion in funding for homeless assistance grants to help ensure that Americans experiencing homelessness during this difficult time will also be able to receive access to the necessary health services they need while following social distancing guidance rules. As the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic continues to bring about unprecedented declines in economic productivity across the entire U.S. economy, homeowners and renters nationwide will need help combating the the devastating economic effects of this crisis. To this end, we are especially pleased that the bill includes$ 100 million in funding to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Housing Counseling Assistance program (Section 109) will be crucial to ensuring that Americans have access to the necessary housing information and resources they need to secure affordable housing or avoid foreclosure on their homes. We are especially pleased that the housing counseling provision in this bill is modeled after the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program, which Congress created in response to the 2008 financial crisis to assist homeowners who were at risk of foreclosure. As you know, the NFMC program proved uniquely successful in helping stabilize U.S. households during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In its 10 year reign, the program provided individualized counseling and education services to more than 2.1 million Americans who needed advise on things such as how to receive a loan modification on their mortgage from their lender, avoid serious delinquency or foreclosure, or purchase a home. As one of a number of HUD-approved housing counseling intermediaries that received funding through NFMC, the National Urban League's 90 affiliates across 36 states played a vital role in providing struggling families with services such as foreclosure prevention counseling, rental counseling, homelessness prevention counseling, how to and fair housing education. Homeowners and renters nationwide who are facing difficult economic times will need precisely this kind of advice on what their available options are for withstanding the difficult economic challenges that lay ahead. This is particularly true for minority and underserved potential homebuyers for whom housing counseling assistance has traditionally proved immensely helpful when it comes to wealth-building and homeownerships opportunities. For example, from 2009-2015, over 12.2 million Americans received housing counseling assistance from HUD-approved counselor; 45% of those received counseling were were racial minorities while 71% of had low or moderate incomes. Housing counseling is particularly vital during times of crisis when unscrupulous actors in the financial marketplace typically seek to further exploit the most financially vulnerable in our society. For many families, being able to speak with a housing counselor to ask questions about how to avoid foreclosure may be the difference between being homeless or staying in their homes during and after this unprecedented crisis. Given that the purchase of a home is still the single most significant financial decisions most Americans will make in their lifetime, housing counseling should continue to be widely available to help families make better and more- informed decisions during challenging economic times. To this end, the National Urban League urges members to vote in favor H.R. 7301 when it comes to the House floor for a vote. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Julius Niyonsaba at the National Urban League. Thank you for your attention and consideration on this important matter. Sincerely, Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League. CCD, Consortium for Citizens With Disabilities, June 29, 2020. Re: H.R. 7301, the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020 Hon. Maxine Waters, Chair, Hon. Patrick McHenry, Ranking Member, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chair Waters and Ranking Member McHenry: On behalf of the Consortium for Citizens With Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force, we are writing to offer our enthusiastic support for the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020 (H.R. 7301). CCD is the largest coalition of national organizations working together to advocate for Federal public policy that ensures the self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society; the CCD Housing Task Force focuses on expanding access to decent, safe and affordable rental housing for people with disabilities. H.R. 7301 is particularly well-timed in responding to the current COVID 19 pandemic. Many people with disabilities are especially vulnerable to increase rates of infection and death from the virus, and in need of stable housing options in order to stay safe and healthy. The extended moratorium on eviction proceedings is crucial to preventing homelessness and housing instability. In addition, the inclusion of $200 million in funding for the Section 811 program will serve as a critical resource to expand access to affordable rental housing for non-elderly people with disabilities, and help existing multifamily properties address the needs of their tenants to adhere to the CDC guidelines for self-distancing and quarantining when needed. Overall, the package of housing-related provisions in the bill are urgently needed protect the people with disabilities and their families who are at risk during this pandemic. Thank you for your leadership in responding to the affordable rental housing needs of low-income Americans during this public health crisis. The CCD Housing Task Force urges all House Members to support H.R. 7301. Sincerely, CCD Housing Task Force Co-Chairs, Molly Burgdorf, The Arc of the United States. Andrew Sperling, National Alliance on Mental Illness. National Alliance To End Homelessness, Washington, DC, June 29, 2020. Hon. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman, House Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC. Dear Chairwoman Waters: On behalf of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which is a nonpartisan, mission-driven organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States, I strongly endorse the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act (H.R. 7301), a thoughtful and comprehensive approach towards addressing the serious health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be considered by the House of Representatives later this month. That this legislation was already approved by the House as part of the massive Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (H.R. 6800) may make it anti-climactic to some. However, I commend you for seizing the opportunity to focus national attention during this public health emergency on homelessness and housing issues specifically, thus increasing the prospects that the federal government will provide additional meaningful assistance to homeless and unstably-housed Americans later this Summer. Your bill includes many helpful provisions, but please allow me to single out three: 1. Section 201 would authorize an additional $11.5 billion in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) to help homelessness services providers safely shelter and quarantine homeless Americans and help a substantial fraction of them move into permanent housing. This is a natural extension of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Recovery Security Act (P.L. 116-136), which provided the homelessness system with a crucial $4 billion in initial ESG funding. Homeless Americans are twice as likely to be hospitalized, two to four times as likely to require critical care, and two to three times as likely to die than the general population. Section 201 would allow providers to safely shelter homeless Americans in adapted or new facilities and quarantine the most vulnerable homeless Americans in motels. ESG would also be used by providers to pay for the additional staff required to meet the increased demand for services and the loss of volunteers due to the virus as well as the additional supplies required during a pandemic, including testing, soaps, sinks, toilets, gloves, masks, personal protective equipment, food, and cleaning supplies. ESG would allow providers to continue to serve unsheltered homeless Americans--those who cannot come inside, usually because of inadequate shelter capacity--which has never been more important because of public health concerns. However, such outreach has also become more difficult, more expensive, and more dangerous than ever before. Finally, ESG would allow providers to move a significant fraction of homeless Americans into permanent housing through rapid re-housing (RRH), a successful program that combines short-term rental subsidies, [[Page E603]] help finding affordable rentals, and some case management. RRH is widely credited with a steep nationwide reduction in family homelessness. Among homelessness services providers, the operative maxim is: ``it's a marathon, not a sprint!'' This pandemic will last well into calendar year 2021, and they know their workload will likely get even heavier. Therefore, it is imperative that the federal government sufficiently resource those providers through enactment of Section 201. 2. Section 202 would authorize the establishment of $1 billion in emergency housing vouchers which could provide permanent housing to homeless Americans, those at risk of becoming homeless, as well as those escaping from domestic violence. With respect to homeless families and individuals, specifically, these vouchers could be used to provide safe spaces to those most vulnerable to the virus--the elderly, the disabled, and the sick--who need deeper subsidies. Additional funding beyond what is provided here will be needed to ensure a permanent housing solution for all homeless people who are elderly or have serious disabilities, and we look forward to working with you to fulfill this need. 3. Section 101 would establish a $100 billion rental assistance fund in order to prevent a wave of homelessness from sweeping across the nation and overwhelming homelessness services providers. Many renters, who were already spending unsustainable amounts of their incomes on rent, are incurring significant arrearages during state and federal eviction moratoria, and they are in danger of eviction when those moratoria expire. Your legislation offers homeless and unstably-housed Americans hope and inspiration during this terrible time, so thank you for your extraordinary leadership. Sincerely, Steve Berg, Vice President for Programs and Policy, National Alliance to End Homelessness. ____________________