The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified an already significant need for affordable housing. Dramatically increased joblessness is increasing housing insecurity, which in turn puts pressure on Public Housing Authorities (PHA’s) and Community Development Agencies (CDA’s) to move quicker to process applications for housing assistance.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is launching a new initiative to reduce homelessness by getting local government commitments to build affordable units and reduce the number of people living on the streets. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge introduced the “House America” program during a press conference in September 2021, calling it “an all hands-on deck effort to address our homelessness crisis.” The White House says the initiative is meant to help ensure that local governments are aware of billions of dollars in programs funded through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act that can be tapped for housing support. With the increases in housing vouchers and potential expansion of housing initiatives streamlining housing assistance eligibility determination is critical.

This panel focused on strategies to improve the housing assistance verification process. The discussion showed how automated employment and income data, as well as other data can be effectively used by housing assistance agencies to help streamline assistance to the many individuals and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling them to better serve their communities.