ABSTRACT
This concluding chapter discusses U.S. housing policy in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in late 2019, arriving in the U.S. in early 2020. It also discusses housing policy in relation to racial injustice and climate change. Finally, it reviews the Trump administration’s efforts to change housing policy. COVID-19 underscored the precarious ability of millions of Americans to retain their housing in the event of an economic shock and it reminded us of the central role of housing in sustaining public health. The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in June 2020 and the increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes, wild fires, and other extreme weather events highlight housing’s deep connections to racial injustice and climate change. The Trump administration was largely unsuccessful in its efforts to eliminate and curtail housing subsidy programs, but did succeed in weakening programs aimed at reducing housing discrimination and segregation.
