Housing is a foundation for economic mobility and opportunity, but many Americans struggle to afford a place to live. And racist policies and practices—historical and ongoing—have created entrenched inequities in access to homeownership, quality housing, and resource-rich neighborhoods. The COVID-19 pandemic has made these problems worse. Past crises like Hurricane Katrina and the mortgage crisis and subsequent Great Recession offer us crucial lessons. In the face of the pandemic-related housing crisis, policymakers can do more than craft policies that return households to a prepandemic status quo. Instead, they can embrace economic mobility and racial equity as their goals.
 
Please join the Urban Institute and Enterprise Community Partners for a virtual discussion exploring policies for a stronger, more equitable housing recovery from the pandemic. We will start by presenting four housing policy principles and related strategies from a new report, An Equitable Framework for Housing Policy Solutions for COVID-19 and Beyond: Reflections on Lessons from Hurricane Katrina and the Great Recession. A moderated panel discussion will follow with practitioners who have been applying innovative strategies on the ground to address the current housing crisis and pave the way for more fair and just housing beyond the pandemic.