The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout underscore the need for a stronger housing safety net in the United States. During the peak of the crisis, when it was imperative for everyone to stay home and maintain social distancing, over 580,000 Americans were experiencing homelessness in shelters or on the streets (HUD, 2021). Millions more were at severe risk of eviction because interruptions in incomes broke their already-strained budgets. COVID-19 was an economic catastrophe for many households, disproportionately people of color, precisely because so many already could not afford their homes.
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