The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Housing and Infrastructure Project released federal policy recommendations designed to dramatically reduce the number of working families with destabilizing rent burdens and at risk of eviction, minimize the number of people experiencing homelessness, and prevent further spread of COVID-19. The report calls on Congress and the Trump Administration to:

  1. Extend emergency unemployment insurance benefits and provide another round of direct payments;
  2. Appropriate at least $15 billion in flexible emergency rental assistance to prevent evictions;
  3. Extend forgivable loans or tax credits to property owners facing lost rental income;
  4. Provide $11.5 billion in funding to meet the housing needs of those experiencing homelessness;
  5. Provide at least $3 billion in emergency funding to cover emergency pandemic-related needs in federally assisted, congregate housing and address COVID-19 detection;
  6. Include USDA and tribal rental assistance in the next COVID-19 response package;
  7. Encourage states to target uncommitted CARES Act and future funding allocations to help people experiencing homelessness and low-income renters;
  8. Augment regulatory flexibilities and waivers; and
  9. Develop a testing, surveillance, and vaccination strategy for federally-assisted, congregate housing.