Safe, affordable, high-quality housing is a bedrock human need. Even before COVID-19, millions of families faced eviction, lived in substandard rental housing, and otherwise grappled with housing insecurity and all of the consequences of that insecurity. These burdens fall disproportionately on families and communities of color. The number of eviction filings skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening to exacerbate and make permanent racial and ethnic disparities in access to housing security. Many different solutions to the eviction crisis are emerging, from recognition of a right to counsel in housing court to governmental allocation of funds to alleviate rental arrears, and beyond. Our distinguished panelists will discuss the origins of racial disparities in tenancy and housing court, the necessity of meaningful protections for habitability and its links to racial disparities in health, and the ways in which we can move forward together to ensure equity in access to housing.
Panelists:
Jamey Bell
Executive Director and Attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid
Moderator
Paula Franzese
Peter W. Rodino Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law School
Cecil Thomas
Staff Attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid
Richard V. Reeves
Brookings Institution Senior Fellow – Economic Studies
John C. and Nancy D. Whitehead Chair
Director – Future of the Middle Class Initiative
Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.