The COVID-19 public health crisis and economic collapse of 2020 brought devastating harm to millions of families, and those with low incomes have been disproportionately impacted. Many have struggled to remain safely and stably housed, due in large part to a severe shortage of affordable homes for people with the lowest incomes before the pandemic began.

By the end of January 2021, COVID-19 had claimed the lives of over 500,000 Americans, and the death toll will continue to climb (COVID Tracking Project, 2021). People of color are considerably more likely to contract the virus, be hospitalized, and die as a result of the pandemic (CDC, 2020). Racial disparities in housing contribute to these inequitable outcomes. Black people, Native Americans, and Latinos are more likely to experience homelessness and overcrowded housing than white people (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2020; U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). People experiencing homelessness, overcrowding, or housing instability are at greater risk of COVID-19 because transmission of the virus is more likely in congregate shelters and crowded homes, where people are unable to maintain safe social distancing (Nande et al., 2020; Chapman et al., 2020). The pandemic makes clear that affordable homes are a prerequisite for individual and public health.