WASHINGTON–The CFPB and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have announced a new tech sprint they said is designed to “tackle housing insecurity as state and federal COVID-19 eviction and foreclosure protections.”
This tech sprint will be one of six being planned by the Census Bureau’s The Opportunity Project (TOP) as “The World Post COVID-19” tech sprint program, with each sprint focusing on post-pandemic challenges, the CFPB and HUD said.
According to the CFPB’s acting director, Dave Uejio, the CFPB-HUD tech sprint will challenge participants to develop innovative tools to raise the visibility of housing assistance resources and “to connect those experiencing housing insecurity with these resources.”
Uejio said that when state and federal protections end, many households will be challenged to resume rent or make back-rental or -mortgage payments, or will face displacement or homelessness.
“So, it’s imperative housing assistance resources reach those in need,” Uijio wrote. “Many displaced homeowners and renters, hoping to find new housing, will confront affordable housing shortages and ever increasing demand on available housing.”
The Objective
According to Uejio, the objective is to ensure housing assistance resources are getting to landlords, particularly small ones less equipped to handle financial hardships.
“These landlords may decide to sell their properties or avoid renting to tenants in need of assistance,” Uejio said, noting small landlords make up approximately half of all rental units.
HUD and the CFPB did not provide details around when the sprint will begin, but plans call for providing participants with subject-matter and data experts to speed progress.