August 12, 2021

Local zoning ordinances in the Twin Cities restrict 73 percent of residential land to allow only single-family detached homes. Ten percent is zoned for “middle housing,” and only 7 percent is zoned for multifamily housing. Many Black and Latinx families rely upon multifamily housing and changing the zoning laws could both expand their access to high-opportunity neighborhoods and improve affordability. “BIPOC folks have been segregated from more affluent neighborhoods because they haven’t been able to have more housing options in those neighborhoods,” said Karen Barton, St. Louis Park’s community development director. “That affects education, health, future incomes, everything.”

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new 60-day eviction moratorium that targets counties with high transmission of COVID-19. The new order comes after the Supreme Court signaled it wouldn’t accept any further extensions without congressional authorization. It is unclear whether the new moratorium will survive legal challenges, but President Biden says he hopes it will buy time for states to distribute relief to those most vulnerable to eviction. "I think there's a moral imperative here to make sure that people who are unstably housed in a period of time where we have extraordinary disease transmission in many parts of this country — that this is a true public health threat and that we need to keep people stably housed," said CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

In Los Angeles, 45 percent more people were experiencing homelessness in 2020 than in 2016. Although the city has invested in housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness, the situation continues to be dire, with three-quarters of unhoused people living unsheltered. In September, a strict new anticamping ordinance will go into effect and will restrict people from sleeping, laying, or placing their personal property in public areas across the city. Opponents say the law will effectively criminalize homelessness and argue the only way to address these issues is by building more affordable housing and expanding services that provide a path to stable housing.

Eviction cases, dubbed “Scarlet E” by tenant advocates, have long-lasting effects on a tenant’s ability to secure housing. Cases can linger on a tenant’s renter history for years and are nearly impossible to scrub away. Some states have passed laws to make it easier for tenants to seal their eviction cases, but housing advocates fear new laws and other efforts won’t be enough to make progress against a surge of eviction cases predicted to follow the moratorium’s expiration. Even if cases are dropped once relief arrives, records will remain and could prevent tenants from securing housing in the future. “Using eviction records exacerbates inequality and the challenges that people face,” said Kathryn A. Sabbeth, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.