July 09, 2020

Twenty percent of American renters who have depended on federal pandemic aid and eviction moratoria may risk eviction by the end of September as a backlog of eviction cases begins to move through courts. Black and Latinx renters will likely be hit hardest, according to several recent analyses. But advocates say the lack of federal enforcement creates opportunities for unfair and illegal evictions, even during moratoria. “It is up to the courts to know what is required,” says Emily A. Benfer, director of the Health and Justice Advocacy Clinic at Columbia Law School, who notes that sometimes, the courts don’t know, and too often, renters are burdened with enforcing the law. 

Washington, DC’s #BlackHomesMatter movement is calling for the city council to invest in public housing repairs, emergency rental assistance, and other issues that disproportionately affect Black DC residents in its fiscal year 2021 budget. Black and brown residents make up more than 90 percent of public housing residents in DC, and many are essential workers at greater risk of COVID-19 exposure. Central to advocates’ demands is the Public Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Amendment Act, which they say would help codify tenant rights and ensure residents are not displaced by demolition projects. 

Amazon partnered with Mary’s Place, a local homeless shelter, to build a shelter on its Seattle campus. It’s believed to be the first homeless shelter built inside a corporate building in the country. The initiative is a collaboration with Popsicle Place, a program that provides accommodations for homeless children with medical needs and their families and has caught the attention of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and similar organizations. It comes after a backlash against Amazon for its contribution to Seattle’s growing homelessness crisis.

There is no official definition of the “suburbs" in the US, but researchers at Indeed.com, the US Census Bureau, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development think they’re close to one. Their new study surveyed 55,000 households nationwide to find out whether residents perceive their area as suburban. They found that residents in some cities perceive their areas as almost entirely suburban, contradicting common definitions of the suburbs as noncentral cities in metropolitan areas. The researchers hope this study will enable research into how neighborhood type influences residents’ behaviors and thoughts.