Subcommittee are able to participate in todays hearing. Members are reminded to keep their video function on at all times even when they are not recognized by the chair. Members are also reminded that they are responsible commuting and im getting themselves, and to mute themselves after they have finished speaking. Consistent with the regulations accompanying h. R. Rest 965, staff will fully mute members and witnesses as appropriate. When not recognize to avoid inadvertent background noise, like i am hearing now. Members are reminded that all forms relating to order and quorum apply to this remote hearing. This hearing is entitled the rent is still due americas renters, covid19 and an unprecedented eviction crisis. And i now recognize myself for minutes to give an opening statement. Welcome to all of you for our First Virtual hearing. During this very challenging and difficult time. Homeowners and land owners as Housing Market for whole. After ditching will focus our attention on how the covid19 pandemic is impacting our rental market. The harmful effects of this pandemic our physical and mental health, Financial Stability and overall way a thing can be even more devastating when you are unable to pay your rent. When everyone is been being too stay inside to avoid getting sick, now is one of the worst times for families to lose their homes to eviction. Families who experience eviction are likely to experience greater poverty and a host of other negative outcomes that make it harder for the family to get back on their feet, especially during a time when our country faces a growing economic crisis. And worst cases, these familis may fall into homelessness. Lets be clear. Many low income families were already struggling to pay their housing costs prepandemic, as is a legal point that in her testimony, even before the pandemic, 23 Million People and 10. 7 million income household paid more than half their income in rent and rents across the country have become increasingly unaffordable. Many of these people work in jobs that do not allow them the flexibility to save and stash reserves for a rainy day. Because as many can attest, it always seems to be raining down on them, and covid19 has become an unrelenting storm. We also know that the economic effects of covid19 pandemic are disproportionately being felt by people of color. In the month of april, latinx unemployment was over 18 , and black unemployment was over 16 , while the Census Bureau reports that latinx and black households are struggling to pay rent at higher rates than white households. Congress acted quickly in march to pass the cares act. That includes language from a bill that i introduced which provided mortgage forbearance, including for multi family and singlefamily rental Property Owners. But theres much more that needs to be done. The urban institute estimates that as this pandemic goes on, up to 17. 6 million renter households could need rental assistance at a cost of 96 billion for six months to be able to remain in their homes. To further respond to the crisis, the house passed the heroes act which includes 100 billion for emergency rental assistance, increase protections against eviction, and other Housing Resources to support hud and usda programs. The house acted another senate must get to work. I call on my Senate Colleagues to pass this bill, to bring muchneeded relief to families across the country, including struggling renters. Thank you and i look forward to hearing testimony of eyeWitnesses Today. And i now recognize the Ranking Member for four minutes for an opening statement. Thank you, chairman clay. I appreciate your holding this hearing. I apologize for the video but i am in the rural part of my district on a cell phone today, and still able to be in on the hearing and i appreciate that. Obviously today seeing what a valley with of covid19 on americas housing security which is extremely important topic, and its important to focus on it. The time of the gentleman has expired begin our committee has highlighted the link between housing security and outcomes of health, education, and career prospects. So at the time with such economic volatility its right to focus on this topic. And as i mentioned during a a roundtable congresses take an extra day steps to deal with the unprecedented Public Health crisis and its impact on our economy. The 2 trillion spending in the cares act combined with trillions from the Federal Reserve would have been unthinkable at the start of 2020s but theres been bipartisan consensus on those items because of the severity of the problem. The cares act in its supplementation have not been perfect but with respect to housing security, its clear that the laws forbearance provisions combined with extended Unemployment Insurance programs have helped sustain individuals through the last few very difficult months. All 50 states have begin to reopen their economies and the bureau of labor statistics reported that in may the economy added 2. 5 million jobs. Unemployment remains unacceptably high so we find itself in a rapidly evolving situation and congress and Administration Must evolve our response to meet those demands. I am keeping an open mind about what that response should look like but its clear we should focus on the formulas work in the cares act, namely many to focus know what unreal problems that are demonstrated by the best and most appropriate data. Never do, it should not be previous policy goals by republicans or democrats that predate the pandemic but should be a response. Number three, it should truly help the housing and rental markets, not harm them through and attended consequences. Number four, it should be bipartisan. I know the democratic memo points to all alarming statistics from apartment list. Com on payments of rent from renters but the National MultiFamily Housing council data suggest significantly higher payment rates. I think we need to keep all that in mind and try to sort out the facts. A new forbearance request have slowed. Thats good news. Im grateful to hear from our Witnesses Today and look forward to working together on underlying problems. Finally, i have enjoyed the discussion with chairman clay on the need to address Racial Disparities in homeownership and i think that something that is in the jurisdiction of our committee we should be looking at what their event items that are outside the jurisdiction of most of our committee, mostly in the Judiciary Committee that we cant turn a blind eye to including the injustice that occurred in minneapolis. George floyd should still be alive today. So should countless other africanamericans, and to think we need to Work Together regardless of the fact that this is mostly in the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee to root out injustice wherever we find it. Thank you. I look for to working with republicans and democrats on these important issues and i look forward hearing from our Witnesses Today. Thanks holding fishery, mr. Chairman. Thank you, mr. Stivers, and thank you for your encouraging words. I i look for to working with you also. To tackle these issues as they come before this committee and before congress. At this time i recognize the chairperson of the full committee, the gentleman from california for one minute, ms. Waters. Good afternoon and thank you, chairman clay. I want to thank we already did with our rental crisis long before the pandemic. This pandemic has only made matters worse with black and latinx renters bearing the brunt of the pain. According to the terms and come black and latinx renters are overrepresented among selected population and expect to be financially impacted by covid19. Making up 28 and 18 respectively. Even though the only comprise 18 18 and 12 of your population. While the cares act included an Eviction Moratorium that covered some renters, it provided no rental assisted assistance fore struggling to pay their rent during the pandemic. I am pleased the heroes act includes a proposal by mr. Hecht and myself to provide 100 billion for emergency rental assistance. And so im looking forward to hearing from eyeWitnesses Today about the importance of keeping everyone safe during and after this crisis. Thank you so very much and i yield back. That chairwoman yields back, and thank you, madam chair, for your steadfast leadership on the issue, in this area on housing and how we make people secure in their housing. I appreciate the working relationship that we have. Today, we welcome the testimony of Cashauna Hill, executive director of louisiana their Housing Action center. Mike kinsella, executive director, up for growth. And believe, visiting senior fellow, center on budget and policy priorities. Jenny schuetz, aloe, the brookings institution. Witnesses are reminded that your oral testimony to be limited to five minutes, i ask that you respect the members and other witnesses time my wrapping up your testimony. Without objection your written statement will be made heart of the record, and now ms. Hill, you are recognize for five minutes to give an oral presentation of your testimony. Thank thank you, good afterno you all. My name is Cashauna Hill and the service a given director louisiana fair Housing Action center. I want to thank Committee Chair waters and subCommittee Chair clay for the opportunity to address this subcommittee today. I would also like to thank Ranking Member mechanic and subcommittee Ranking Member stivers and on the list of this subcommittee for luck me all of the witnesses here. The louisiana fair Housing Action center was established in 1995 to eradicate housing discoloration and segregation where based in new orleans and serve all of louisiana as early full service or Housing Advocacy group in the state. Our work includes work across for programmatic areas, education and outreach, foreclosure prevention counseling, free legal representation to people of experience housing discoloration, and policy advocacy at the state and local levels. 52 years after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act when housing discoloration in the United States remains a divisive force the perpetuates poverty and segregation limits access to opportunity. The work of our center is dedicated to eradicating this scourge and to addressing the legacy of discomfort or housing policies that continue to feed unjust outcomes across the country. In louisiana we have a lot of experience recovering from disaster. Whether from Hurricane Katrina and rita devastated south louisiana in 2005, following the levee breaches or the great flood of 2016 in the baton rouge area we know and all of their destruction and tragedy are often an opportunity to imagine a different future. It is imperative we take the chance to deploy the resources needed to write past wrongs that made so many members of our community foldable to covid19 in first place. I want want to elicit the challenges we face through the story of daniel seymour. She was working three jobs in the pandemic it in march. Her jobs at local basketball arena, waiting tables on bourbon street in helping to run a Tulane University cafeteria all disappeared within the same week as more sheltered in place to swell the coronavirus at the time she was staying in an Extended Stay Hotel as she waited for inspection on original. Despite a local Eviction Moratorium, they hired a secured card to cut off door locks and barge into rooms with a gun drawn. The most likely only us with work of local legal aid attorney they kept the situation from deteriorating for the i wish her story was an outlier but nearly half of all renters in louisiana were paying more than they could afford on rent and utilities before covid19. As is true across the country the effects of overtaking have fallen to support it on low income and black counsels. In new orleans many of the census tracts with high school in making per capita rate poorly with majority black it was that have seen also the highest detection rates. Without additional federal assistance we expect the reopening of Eviction Court that the state to only even this disparity. Short of rent and mortgage cancellation louisiana renters and land owners definitely need a massive rental Assistance Program to fight the 100 billion set aside for rental assistant. Another crucial element of the heroes act is an extension of the cares act Eviction Moratorium to recover all renters. The cares act moratorium was an important step in the right direction but has proven quite a bit difficult to the local level and lees argument renters out. Because the last four records of the landlord selected number are often hard to look up a mortgage of most renters in louisiana will not have any way to determine whether they are covered under the cares act and has ordered from very difficult to plan for enforcement of the act and educate the public. The courts decide to do right thing and not required tended to provide information, were left with quartz left and soap to research on each property when eviction is vital to ensure the property is not to subsidize or subject to a federally backed mortgage. In louisiana most jurisdictions handle evictions and justice of the peace court which are woefully unprepared to handle this level of engagement. Justices of the peace are often nonlawyers come few if any step and in some community as it is common for courts to be held in the justice of the peace garage, living room or kitchen. I return at the point i open with, that if we do not address racial and other despairs early and our Disaster Recovery efforts were destined to f5 nccic black homeownership in new orleans on the rise has declined since katrina. Segregation in the city has increased since the storm and African Americans have been displaced from humanities on high grant that are less susceptible to flooding the community that are far from jobs. As we continue a long overdue national accomplishment racism in america, i offer we sit at the similar Decision Point in history as would just before the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. Fair housing advocates across the country understand providing a just path forward is necessary. I thank you for the opportunity to testify. [inaudible] yeah, im sorry. I have to get this nude down, but thank you for your testimony, now we recognize Mike Kingsella for five minutes. Chairman clay, Ranking Member stivers, and esteemed members of this subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to provide testimony at this important hearing. My background, we are a National Legislative advocacy focus on eliminating structural barriers to housing. The covid19 crisis has rapidly expose the fragility of Critical Systems and infrastructure in a country, and the housing ecosystem is no exception. Failure to address the looming red crisis will have dire consequences for millions of americans and for a healthy ecosystem that underpins our economy. It was already under strain from a severe shortage of homes. Immediately emergency rental assistance is the most important and urgent Action Congress can take. It is essential to ensure housing stability for the millions of americans impacted by covid19. And essential for the Housing Providers who rely on these payments. We commend the committee for its work thus far, come up with a country emergency rental assistant was included in the house passed heroes act. I hope by tesla will provide perspective as to why these measures and others are needed now more than ever. To fully understand the written associated challenges on the immediate horizon we need understand the severity of the existing housing crisis. The numbers are grim. The country is a lease 7. 3 million homes short of what we need to be, with deficits in every region. It spans all demographics and geographies. Nearly half american renter households are spending 30 or more other income on rent. Extremely low rent, extremely lowincome renters fared the worst with 31 31 of the folks making pillows 30 , and more than half the gross income on rent. And African American and hispanic renter households are much more likely to be cost burdened and their white neighbors. Decades of flawed housing policy led to more land in use for less housing and the people in the salt having to travel longer distances to find gainful employment. Covid19 has further destabilize an already struggling Housing Market. 15 Million People living in renter households were at least one person works in an industry most likely to be affected by covid19. In many of these households were already cost burdened. They cannot observe any sudden loss of income. It is vital that these families continue to stay in their ho