Last year, many states ended pandemic-era assistance programs including programs protecting tenants, leaving renters facing an uncertain future.
Latinos, who were among the hardest hit by COVID-19, are sure to be disproportionately affected by the affordable housing shortage. That is because many Latinos live in urban areas where rents continue to rise and safe, affordable housing stock is low. Immigrant renters are particularly vulnerable to dealing with unscrupulous landlords who will seek to weaponize their tenants’ perceived immigration status to impose unlawful rent hikes or evictions.
Fears that immigrants may face increased exploitation are not misplaced. Consider the case of Jose E. Zavala-Padilla, a Chicago-area resident who lost nearly everything in 2020 following a rent dispute with his landlord.
