Pandemic housing policies: mitigation strategies and protection of rights

Abstract

A housing crisis was already plaguing communities long before the COVID-19 pandemic began, further accelerating the need for effective housing solutions. Building on a critical examination of government housing policy responses to support households keep their homes during the pandemic, this article reviews and documents the housing policies implemented in the context of the health crisis to protect vulnerable populations, in addition to some of the gaps found in those policies. Using data from OECD countries, the article explores the key actions implemented as a springboard to argue that a) governments were only able to swiftly enact those policies because they were temporary measures in response to a time-limited crisis, and b) that those Covid-related pandemic measures fail to address the deep-rooted structural inadequacies of housing systems. While demonstrating the added value and possibilities of such housing solutions, the study further argues that pandemic-oriented housing solutions could provide an opportunity to reconsider housing objectives that some governments deemed impossible or impracticable before the COVID-19 health crisis. The study suggests that countries should champion investments in affordable housing and convert their impetus for short-term coronavirus changes into fairer, more inclusive and longer-term housing protections.