The Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition has released its Housing Stability Policy Priorities for 2021.
To maintain housing stability and prevent damage to Indiana’s economy and public health in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Indiana must ensure that no Hoosier is evicted or made homeless due to the pandemic. To achieve this, Indiana needs a COVID-19 Housing Stability Response & Recovery Plan with legislation to prevent COVID-19 related evictions and homelessness; better balance landlord and tenant rights; and strengthen the foundation for affordable housing development.
Federal Priorities
- Congress must include sufficient housing stability resources in COVID-19 relief to prevent Hoosier evictions and homelessness. We endorse the NLIHC’s recommendations and urge Indiana’s Congressional delegation to champion #RentReliefNow!
State Administrative Priorities
- Gov. Holcomb should appoint a ‘Housing Stability Lead and Task Force’ with authority to coordinate available federal, state, local, and public/private funds for emergency rental assistance and incorporate input from housing providers, residents, and public health experts
- Include a ‘Housing Stability Dashboard’ on Indiana’s COVID-19 website with data on evictions and outcomes of rental assistance programs by county and Census tract
State Legislative Priorities
- Do no additional harm: do not expand the crisis through legislation that increases evictions, including a potential override of Gov. Holcomb’s veto of SEA148
- Create an eviction expungement process allowing tenants to expunge certain evictions from their court records
- Create a right for tenants to see their tenant screening records for those who are denied housing to remedy and/or rectify inaccurate information
- Create problem-solving housing courts to test effective remedies for tenants and landlords
- Prohibit housing discrimination based on source of income to help ensure rent assistance can be used where it is needed the most
View the PDF of the Housing Stability Policy Priorities for 2021.