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COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance: Analysis of a National Survey of Programs
To better understand how government agencies and their partner organizations responded to the explosion of rental needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NYU Furman Center, the Housing Initiative at Penn, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition collaborated on a research brief, “COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance: Analysis of National Survey of Programs.”
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NYU Furman Center Comments on Intro 1572-A
The NYU Furman Center submitted a public comment on Intro 1572-A suggesting ways in which the bill can better address racial inequity under the NYC housing system. The testimony, authored by Executive Director Matthew Murphy, Legal Fellow Noah Kazis, and Senior Policy Fellow Mark A. Willis, recognizes and endorses the need to study and identify where our land use system exacerbates racial inequality and how it can reduce it.
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Data Updates
Data Update: Rental Assistance Need and Federal ERA Allocation in New York State
Last December’s stimulus package from the federal government provided much-needed federal resources for rental assistance, however the method for allocating the funding across states and cities is key for ensuring a fair distribution of the limited funds. The stimulus package extended the eviction moratorium for one additional month, and provided $25 billion in rental assistance to states and localities through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Localities with populations of at least 200,000 can apply to the Treasury Department for direct assistance, which will be allocated according to a formula based on population share. However, direct assistance is limited to 45 percent of the localities’ population share, well short of potential need.
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Housing Characteristics of Small and Mid-Sized Cities
In this post, we examine the population and housing characteristics in small and mid-sized cities in order to better understand their potentially unique needs and solutions. We focus on key indicators used to assess local housing needs and guide housing policy strategies and compare them across small, small-mid, mid-sized, and large cities. For these four groups of cities, we examine average population changes, rent levels and rent burdens by income, racial gaps in homeownership, and principal city/suburban rent differences.
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News & Events
Under One Roof: Building an Abolitionist Approach to Housing Justice
The NYU Furman Center hosted this virtual event, comprised of two panel discussions. The first panel provided a history and overview of abolitionist concepts, from the end of chattel slavery to present day impacts of American segregation. The second panel explored the application of an abolitionist lens to address racial injustice in the field of housing policy today.
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Data Update: Eviction Filings in New York City as Some Renter Protections Expire
In late September, we analyzed the magnitude of a potential deluge of eviction filings caused by pandemic-related income losses. Although the “tsunami” has thankfully not yet materialized and the volume of filings and evictions remains significantly below previous year levels, New York City housing courts are once again accepting filings, scheduling hearings, allowing parties to default, and executing warrants of eviction.
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News & Events
Policy Breakfast: Reforming State Zoning for Affordability, Integration, and Growth
The NYU Furman Center hosted a two-part virtual policy breakfast series reviewing efforts across the country to tackle exclusionary zoning, and discussing the lessons these initiatives hold for New York.
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Rental Assistance Need in Five of New York’s Mid-Sized Cities
Analyses of housing and urban policy often overlook renters in small and mid-sized cities. In this post, we pay special attention to this population by examining the impact of COVID-19 on renters in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers, five critical regional anchors in New York State. We estimate the rental assistance need of renters who work in vulnerable occupations in these mid-sized cities.
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Research & Policy
Breaking Barriers, Boosting Supply
The Urban Institute’s Opportunity for All project aims to promote federal strategies that support strong and inclusive neighborhoods. In one of the project’s briefs, “Breaking Barriers, Boosting Supply,” Furman Center Faculty Director Ingrid Gould Ellen and the Urban Institute’s Solomon Greene advocate for the federal government to tie state funding opportunities to local affordable housing goals. They highlight the potential for national policy reform to incentivize communities to take action in improving land use and zoning regulations, ultimately allowing for more affordable housing and healthier, more diverse neighborhoods.
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Data Updates
Data Update: Eviction Filings in NYC Since COVID-19
The economic fallout from COVID-19 has led to fears of a “tsunami” of eviction filings, with an estimated 735,000 households having lost employment income in New York City as of early June. In this post, we summarize key data that provide insights into recent trends in eviction filings in New York City housing courts. Since March, a combination of federal, state, and local orders has limited the eviction process, and prevented the worst-case scenario thus far.
