“This is an exposure of all the things that were previously wrong”: Renters’ experiences with Emergency Rental Assistance

Housing insecurity is a pervasive problem for American renters. This precarity is rooted in a system that privileges ownership rights over occupancy rights, causing an imbalance of power between landlords and renters. While the insecurity of renting in urban America has been a focus of investigation for over a century, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic reignited public interest in this issue and centered important questions regarding housing affordability and the rights of tenants. In 2020, the federal government launched Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs to prevent mass displacement. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 57 adults in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Columbus, Ohio, we examined the ways in which ERA policy intersected with existing housing inequalities. We identified three patterns: (1) ERA provided short-term relief for those whose housing was relatively stable; (2) ERA was a stopgap for those without access to stable affordable housing, doing little to ensure long-term stability; and (3) the most vulnerable renters, particularly without formal leases, were unable to demonstrate eligibility for the program and were excluded entirely. Our findings underscore the limitations of ERA and point to the need for broader, more equitable housing policy reforms.