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Melanie Long offers suggestions for Biden administration�s coronavirus relief bill

Melanie Long, assistant professor��of economics,��commented on��the Biden administration�s coronavirus relief��plan��in an article for��The Conversation, an independent��news organization featuring articles from academic experts.��The��article,���,���featured��insights from four economists, including Long,��based at colleges and universities around the country.��Long specifically focused on��how the new relief plan can���address the eviction crisis���and targeting communities who need it the most. �The sharp rise in unemployment due to the pandemic has left many Americans struggling to pay the bills,� she said. �Renters have been among��the most vulnerable.� Long explained that��renters are more likely to be �poor, young, and either��Black or Hispanic� and��are only managing because the��moratorium on rent has yet to expire. �About��nine��million households have fallen behind on rent payments, with over��one million estimated to owe over $5,000,� she said.��

In addition to extending the moratorium��passed the new date of March 31, Long��suggests that extra aid��to renters and��landlords��could be beneficial. �Limited income beneficiaries especially are likely to spend every extra penny on food and other goods,��stimulating the economy,���Long��said. The ������˾�� professor��also pointed out housing inequities and how��Black Americans are much��more likely to rent, rather than own, their homes compared to white Americans, thus making them more likely to lose their homes.���It�s also largely to blame for the stark racial wealth gap in the U.S.,���she��said.��

Long��proposed��that Congress��provides��short-term and long-term��solutions to��these systemic issues��for��people��of color. �Congress could begin to address these deeper problems by providing down payment assistance��in historically��redlined communities, which would help thousands that are not currently on the��edge of the financial cliff take advantage of historically low interest rates,� Long said.��

Posted in News on January 26, 2021.