Tenant rights activists hold a demonstration about renters who are behind on rent not getting the rental assistance they need.
Tenant rights activists hold a demonstration to protest what they claim to be inadequate legislative relief for renters during the COVID-19 pandemic and to call for the cancellation of rent, Feb. 28, 2021, in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
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The coronavirus pandemic has stripped reliable paychecks from millions of Americans, forcing some families to choose between paying rent and feeding their children.

Since mid-2020, as money flowed from federal stimulus bills, state and local agencies have been handing out assistance checks to renters and landlords.

But there’s still not enough to go around, according to economists. 

The Center for Public Integrity reported that communities of color face the threat of eviction at higher rates than white neighborhoods. Without widespread rental assistance, millions of families may face homelessness when a federal moratorium on evictions lifts.

If you are currently behind on your rent due to the pandemic or were behind in the past year, we want to hear from you. If you’re helping people in this situation — with rent forgiveness or legal aid, for example — we want to hear from you, too. Please take our brief survey to help us report on this crisis. 

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