Home is the Foundation for the Resilient Renter

In the past, our nation has responded to natural disasters—earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods—by rebuilding damaged properties to higher standards that make them more resilient to the next big event. As we look for ways to respond to the health and economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, we must take a similar approach that rebuilds and strengthens the resilience of our people so that when the next global crisis occurs, everyone will have shelter from the storm.

Nowhere is this need for resilience more urgent than in our population of low- and moderate-income renter households who comprise the workforce that our economy has relied on throughout this pandemic. These are the people who make and serve our food. They care for us when we are sick and when we grow old. They clean our buildings. They put out fires and protect our communities. They help us raise and teach our children. Most cannot work from home, and if they have not yet been laid off, they go to work each day and keep America open.