The Bay Area should be a place where people of diverse incomes and backgrounds can live and thrive—with healthy, stable, and affordable housing.

 

By late 2020, California’s pandemic-related eviction protections had already prevented 186,000 COVID-19 cases and 6,000 deaths. Even though one million California adults are behind on rent, the statewide emergency eviction moratorium expires on September 30th, 2021, and foreclosure protections are also ending. 

 

The Bay Area’s local governments and philanthropies must act quickly to support our communities. Many households—especially in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander communities—face a tenuous future as the pandemic continues to deepen existing racial injustices, claim lives, increase debts, and threaten livelihoods. Our solutions should advance racial justice and make everyone safer by prioritizing the people who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. 

 

In 2021, BARHII convened an array of experts from across the region—including legal assistance and safety-net service providers, community organizers, philanthropic leaders, and public health experts—to develop solutions. Together, we created this powerful guide, which outlines eight essential actions that local governments and philanthropic leaders should take to prepare for the end of emergency housing protections. This new tool is endorsed by nearly 50 organizations and includes solutions that are already working in communities across the region.