Covid-19 worsens plight of home renters in US

AS THE Covid-19 pandemic enters its second year, millions of renters in the US are struggling with a loss of income and with the insecurity of not knowing how long they will have a home. Their savings depleted, they are running up credit card debt to make the rent or accruing months of overdue payments. Families are moving in together, offsetting the cost of housing by finding others to share it.

The nation has a plague of housing instability that was festering long before Covid-19, and the pandemic's economic toll has only made it worse. Now the financial scars are deepening and the disruptions to family life growing more severe, leaving a legacy that will remain long after mass vaccinations.

Even before last year, about 11 million households - one in four US renters - were spending more than half their pretax income on housing, and overcrowding was on the rise. By one estimate, for every 100 very low-income households, only 36 affordable rentals are available.