Facing the Housing Crisis – Keeping Americans Healthy, Safe and Connected

This installment of the Food Justice Series held hosted by Share Our Strength – the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign and Food & Society at the Aspen Institute — focused on the housing crisis currently facing millions of people.

Despite rising employment rates and the promise of economic recovery ahead, millions of Americans are still facing extraordinary financial hardship brought on by the pandemic.

According to the Urban Institute, Americans collectively owe more than $57 billion in rent, and with federal eviction moratoriums set to expire at the end of July, more than 11.5 million Americans behind on rent are facing homelessness.

While the pandemic contributed mightily to the looming housing crisis, the disproportionate impact of economic hardship on communities of color is nothing new, reflecting long standing racial inequities that create pockets of poverty across the United States.

In this session, we explored the systems and structures that contribute to housing inequality—from the housing affordability crisis and income inequality, to redlining and disinvestment in communities that lead to segregation—bearing significant financial, educational, health, and opportunity costs for people of color.

We also discussed solutions to our nation’s intersecting housing, hunger, and poverty crises, identifying policies and practices that can move the needle on equitable housing and the redistribution of wealth and resources.