Housing Justice Organizers Don’t Want to Return to 'Normal'

As they organize for immediate relief for those whose housing was affected by the pandemic, tenant leaders are also building power to demand long-term changes.

2 minute read

May 14, 2020, 9:00 AM PDT

By Shelterforce


Housing crisis

David Odisho / Shutterstock

The shelter-in-place mandates instituted across the country as result of COVID-19 have made it clear that everyone needs to have a safe home in order to mitigate this public health emergency and any future ones. In these times, it’s much easier to explain why housing is a human rights issue and a matter of public health and safety. Building on that change, housing justice activists have seized this political moment to not only advocate for local relief and urgent housing-related provisions in the next federal coronavirus package, but to advance their long-term goal of guaranteeing a home for everyone, nationwide.

“COVID-19 has served as an unfortunate wake-up call for a lot of people that we need structural change. People are seeing in real time that the sorts of things we as a society tolerated, like no water, homelessness, being unhoused, or precarious housing for people, was wrong,” says Tracey Ross, the director of federal policy and narrative change at PolicyLink. “The crisis is highlighting that too many of our systems are not compassionate to the realities of everyday people’s lives.”

“It’s a moment of incredible clarity to see that the systems that we relied on for decades to deliver housing are a complete failure,” says organizer Tara Raghuveer, the housing campaign director for People’s Action. “Housing has been treated as a commodity rather than a public good.”

Big upheavals like the pandemic create opportunity. But it’s opportunity that is usually taken advantage of by those with power, at the expense of already vulnerable populations, like people of color and those with low incomes, people who are more at risk for negative outcomes. For example ...

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 in Shelterforce Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 4, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Group of five people sitting on blanket in park on sunny day having picnic.

Parks: Essential Community Infrastructure — and a Smart Investment

Even during times of budget constraint, continued investment in parks is critical, as they provide proven benefits to public health, safety, climate resilience, and community well-being — particularly for under-resourced communities.

June 10 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

Close-up on older woman holding contented looking cat on her lap.

Porches, Pets, and the People We Grow Old With

Neighborhood connections and animal companions matter to aging with dignity, and how we build can support them. Here’s a human-scale proposal for aging in place.

June 10 - Shelterforce Magazine

Concrete staircase next to elevator in bright building with large windows.

Single-Stair Design Contest Envisions Human-Scale Buildings

Single-stair building construction is having a resurgence in the United States, where, for the last several decades, zoning codes have required more than one staircase in multi-story housing developments.

June 10 - Congress For New Urbanism

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.