March 10, 2022

In states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida and Maryland, customers are being charged late fees much higher than the national average. Black and Latinx households are more likely to experience energy insecurity and face utility disconnections. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Black households spent 43 percent more of their incomes on energy costs than white households in 2017, and their 2020 analysis found Native American households’ and Hispanic households’ energy costs accounted for much larger portions of their incomes than those of white households in 2020.  

Despite protections to support renters amid the pandemic, Monarch Investment and Management Group evicted tenants with little pushback. They targeted evictions in areas where few protections existed, and when tenants were protected from evictions under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium, Monarch would neglect repairs or use intimidation tactics to get tenants to leave. Monarch’s “eviction protocol, if you want to call it that, is very aggressive,” said Robert Swearingen, an attorney for the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. “I’ve had clients who they’ve basically told, ‘We don’t care about rental assistance. We want you out.’” 

In 2020, Evanston, Illinois—the same city to institute a reparations program to redress discriminatory housing policies—passed zoning laws to allow ADUs on any residential property and legalize internal ADUs. The Evanston Development Cooperative (EDC), estimates it will add 10,000 housing units. EDC advocates for ADUs to address the city’s interlinked issues of race, climate change, and affordable housing. “Yes, it’s about affordable housing, yes, it’s about climate action. But it’s also about the people who have called Evanston home far longer than I have, feeling like they have ownership and a sense of place in this community through a more democratic business,” said Robinson Markus, an EDC cofounder and co-owner. 

The Bob Tavani House for Medical Respite in Duluth, Minnesota, provides people experiencing homelessness a place to recover following a hospital stay. These services have been successful in Duluth, where more than half the residents have moved into permanent housing. Local advocates hope to make this a permanent option and increase capacity.