Coronavirus could put 1.5 mln U.S. families on cusp of homelessness
By Ellen Wulfhorst
NEW YORK, April 8 (Thomson Reuters 創立／基礎) - The 経済的な blow of the coronavirus could 押し進める 1.5 million U.S. families to the brink of homelessness, 住宅 専門家s 警告するd, not only 増加するing poverty but 加速するing the spread of the pandemic in overcrowded homes.
Those families would join some 8 million 存在するing U.S. 世帯s on the 瀬戸際 of losing their homes, who 支払う／賃金 half or more of their income on rent, said 研究員s and 行動主義者s in a webinar about 住宅 and the pandemic.
"It's just a shocking number of people in our country who are losing 職業s, who are losing hours, who are losing income," said Diane Yentel, 長，率いる of the 国家の Low Income 住宅 連合.
"One of the 結果s will be an 増加する of another million and a half families of 厳しく cost-重荷（を負わせる）d, 極端に low-income renters," she told the online discussion on Tuesday, which was organised by the 都市の Land 学校／設ける, a U.S. nonprofit.
The pandemic has 感染させるd about 400,000 people in the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs and killed more than 12,000, によれば a Reuters 一致する, 軍隊ing 商売／仕事s 全国的な to の近くに their doors and furlough 労働者s.
The number of people 捜し出すing U.S. 失業 利益s spiked last week to a 記録，記録的な／記録する high of more than 6 million, and that did not 含む 労働者s in the informal economy like ride-株 drivers and 国内のs who are not 適格の for 失業 利益s.
Those families may spend 50% to 70% of their income on 住宅 costs and often cram into （人が）群がるd 賃貸しの spaces with 親族s, said Yentel.
"When you have such 限られた／立憲的な income to begin with, and you're 支払う／賃金ing more than half of it just to keep a roof over your 長，率いる, you have very little left over," Yentel said.
About 560,000 people were homeless in the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs before the pandemic began to spread 広範囲にわたって last month, a 人物／姿／数字 that the パネル盤 linked to ますます unaffordable 住宅 and 沈滞した 給料.
But the number of families teetering on the 辛勝する／優位 of losing their homes, 落ちるing behind in rent 支払い（額）s or 二塁打ing up with 親族s, was growing, they said.
"We 焦点（を合わせる） a lot on homelessness, which is like the part of the iceberg that you can see," said Megan Sandel, a public health 専門家 and associate professor at Boston University Schools of 薬／医学 and Public Health.
"But there's a lot of homelessness below the surface, the hidden homeless. That's a 住宅 insecure 全住民," she said.
People without 安全な・保証する homes struggle with social distancing, hygiene 警戒s and stay-at-home orders put into place to help 茎・取り除く the spread of the pandemic, the 専門家s said.
"What happens when people who are sleeping in homeless 野営s have no 接近 to water or soap?" Yentel said.
"What happens when we have millions of people who on a good day are on the cusp of losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic, when our 集団の／共同の health depends on our ability to stay home?"
She called for the U.S. 議会 to 認可する $100 billion in 緊急 賃貸しの 援助 to help low-income renters and small-所有物／資産／財産 landlords who need 賃貸しの income to 生き残る.
議会 認可するd an 前例のない $2.3 一兆 救助（する） 一括 調印するd into 法律 by 大統領 Donald Trump on March 27, and several 明言する／公表するs have banned coronavirus-関係のある evictions.
(報告（する）／憶測ing by Ellen Wulfhorst, editing by Zoe Tabary. Please credit the Thomson Reuters 創立／基礎, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live 自由に or 公正に／かなり. Visit http://news.信用.org)
