Author: Chris Holden
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The pandemic is making it harder for survivors of domestic violence
In the best of times, survivors of domestic violence face a lot of challenges finding safe shelter. The coronavirus pandemic has made things much worse. Stay at home orders keep survivors closed up with their abusers. Shelters have to reduce capacity or close because of social distancing rules. However, crisis hotlines and shelter operators are…
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Congress deadlocked on more coronavirus relief
Negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House over a new coronavirus stimulus package are at a standstill. Congress will leave town in a couple of weeks for the final month of the campaign. Congress still needs to pass funding bills before September 30 to avoid a government shutdown. (Editor’s Note: The House passed passed…
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CDC orders national eviction moratorium until end of year
The Trump administration acted on Tuesday to temporarily halt evictions for most Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic. This move will provide critical protection for millions of low-income renters and homeowners on the brink of losing their homes. Without emergency rental assistance, though, the order only pushes out the date when millions of low-income families…
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Affordable housing disaster prep helps with hurricane and pandemic needs
Hurricane Laura came ashore last week near the Texas-Louisiana border as one of the strongest hurricanes on record. Laura’s 150 mph winds left a trail of devastation hundreds of miles inland. Following on the heels of hurricane Marco, thousands of low-income renters now find themselves displaced. Affordable housing agencies will be working overtime to help…
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Federal judge rules cities cannot issue fines for being homeless
A federal judge recently ruled that the City of Grants Pass, Oregon, cannot issue citations and civil fines to homeless people sleeping in public. Following up on an earlier case that outlawed criminal penalties for sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, the ruling will force local governments to rethink how they address the challenge of…
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Trump executive orders will not help workers or stop evictions
President Trump issued executive orders last weekend that he promised would help jobless workers. He made this move, he said, because of the stalemate in Congress over the next coronavirus stimulus package. But these orders are just more false promises from a president who has hurt millions with his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. One…
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Low-income, minority, and immigrant renters hurt by Trump cutting census short
The U.S. Census Bureau will cut short the time for the 2020 Census count by a month, which will leave millions of people uncounted; most of those being low-income, minority, and immigrant households. This cynical move by the Trump administration will short-change states and cities with large minority or immigrant populations for a decade. Ironically,…
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Trump fans race and class tensions as HUD guts key fair housing rule
The Trump administration abruptly terminated a key fair housing regulation last week that required states and cities to reduce historic patterns of housing segregation. This rule change will allow local governments to continue policies that restrict housing choice for low-income and minority renters. The rule being targeted promotes Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). This requires…
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Report shows that affordable housing is “Out of Reach” everywhere in the country
A new report shows that even before the coronavirus pandemic there is no place in the country where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford a modest apartment. With millions already paying more than half of what they earn for rent, the Out of Reach 2020 annual report by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)…
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Trump Admin again proposes rule that will hurt homeless transgender persons
HUD announced this month that it will propose a rule change that allows local shelter providers to discriminate against homeless transgender persons. If the rule is implemented, transgender persons who are homeless could be turned away from shelters because of their gender identity. The Trump administration originally announced this rule change last year, but did…