The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is already the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Renters and homeowners who have lost their jobs during this pandemic are facing down an already tight housing market, in which a third of Americans are cost-burdened and minimum-wage workers can’t afford housing anywhere in the U.S. People already experiencing homelessness are struggling to find a safe place to even wash their hands, though without access to sanitation, the coronavirus may spread.
Without swift action, the housing crisis facing much of the country will only worsen, and the pandemic will be more difficult to contain.
Clearly, cities and states must act. But how?
Join Next City housing correspondent Jared Brey on a webinar Wednesday, May 6 at 1 p.m. ET, to explore solutions that cities around the country have already adopted to try to blunt the worst of the housing-related fallout from the pandemic. These solutions could be replicated elsewhere.
On this webinar, Brey will speak with:
Cambridge, MA mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, whose administration has committed to paying local restaurants to make meals for homeless shelters, where volunteers can no longer cook meals because of social distancing requirements.
Philly-based Good Shepherd Mediation’s Sue Wasserkrug, who can speak to how the organization’s landlord-tenant mediation program is helping people stay in their homes and helping landlords resolve disputes with tenants without the need for court.
More guests to be announced
Jared Brey is Next City’s housing correspondent, based in Philadelphia. He is a former staff writer at Philadelphia magazine and PlanPhilly, and his work has appeared in Columbia Journalism Review, Landscape Architecture Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Philadelphia Weekly, and other publications.
This webinar is pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Those who become sustaining members of at least $10 a month, or who make a one-time donation of at least $60, may choose to receive a copy of “Black in Place.” Donations made for this webinar will go toward our 2020 Urban Affairs Journalism Fellowship Program. We only need to raise $8,000 to ensure this program’s success. Your donation today will go directly toward paying an intern’s stipend and managing the program. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.