Millions of Americans still face housing insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 15 percent behind on rent payments at the end of June. New York City not only houses the majority of the State’s renters but also had relatively high rates of rent-burdened tenants to the pandemic.
The American Jobs Plan, President Joe Biden’s proposal to bolster U.S. infrastructure and modernize the economy, is also a plan to fulfil the administration’s commitment to affordable, safe, and fair housing. In terms of housing, the centerpiece of the proposal is $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit houses and apartment buildings. If well-managed and strategically invested, these funds could go a long way toward increasing the supply of affordable housing in this country, a desperately needed change. But improving housing stability and addressing the ongoing eviction crisis only temporarily held in check by an unprecedented array of federal, state, and local protections for renters requires more: an investment in the data infrastructure necessary to root out discrimination, ensure tenants’ rights, and target hazardous housing conditions.