April 01, 2021

Two days before the federal eviction moratorium was set to expire, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended it through June. The extension comes as more than eight million households owe back rent, and the health and economic effects of the pandemic persist. “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings—like homeless shelters—by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky

More than 90 percent of Connecticut’s zoned land is allocated for single-family housing. A new advocacy group, Desegregate CT, is pushing to change this through S.B. 1024, a bill that would legalize accessory dwelling units, set caps on parking minimums, and legalize multifamily housing between two and four units near transit and along main streets. The group believes the bill would promote racial equity and economic change. But opponents question whether it would advance equity and believe it doesn’t push for much-needed new housing.

A recent report from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University found landlords are repeatedly filing evictions against tenants at the same address, and serial evictions are primarily affecting households who live in majority-Black and low-income communities east of the Anacostia River. Report authors say serial filings are more common in DC than other cities because DC has the lowest fee to file in the country. Since the report’s release, DC leaders have sponsored legislation to raise the filing fee and establish a minimum amount of $600 in unpaid rent to file an eviction.

The nonprofit Groundwork Denver just built a new 5.5-acre park on a former brownfield site in a working-class neighborhood in north Denver. The organization aims to create green spaces to improve community health and increase access to nature for communities of color. “We need the resources to get folks comfortable and back into our gardens and park spaces. We know that these open spaces are healing spaces—that they allow people to get outside, and that brings them mental and physical wellness,” says Jonathan Pacheco Bell, an urban planner who has worked to address park inequities.