Skip to main content

Housing insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic

This report summarizes some of the relevant data and research on the impact of the pandemic on the rental and mortgage market, and particularly its impact on low income and minority households. 11 million renter and homeowner households were significantly overdue on their regular housing payments as of December 2020, placing them at heightened risk of losing their homes to foreclosure or eviction over the coming months. Black and Hispanic households were more than twice as likely to report being behind on their payments than white households.

Federal, state, and local policymakers have taken significant steps to help households navigate housing insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic—from stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment assistance, to forbearance and moratoria on foreclosure and eviction. These government actions have reduced foreclosures and evictions so far; however, as these measures begin to expire, many households will face difficulties navigating significant payment arrearages or permanent income losses.

Full report

Read the full report