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T he U.S. had a serious, and wors- ening, affordable housing crisis long before COVID-19.Working families often were paying up to half of their income on shel- ter, leaving little for other necessities like food and medical care. Demand for workforce housing far outstripped the supply after decades of underinvest- ment. Further exacerbating the situa- tion was the fact that federal housing subsidies have been woefully inad- equate, for only one in four households that qualified for a housing voucher actually received one. To say that the pandemic created even more housing instability would be an understatement. Millions of Ameri- cans suddenly found themselves unem- ployed and without financial reserves to fall back on. Housing providers mean- while struggled to meet their financial obligations and cover higher oper- ating costs as resi- dents sheltered in place. 2020 will go down as a truly devastat- ing and horrible year.We are all griev- ing the loss of something – a loved one, a job, a school year or just plain human connection. It feels wrong given the enormity of human loss caused by COVID-19 to even talk about silver lin- ings.Yet, there are some, and an impor- tant one for apartment firms is the enormous spotlight the health crisis put on our preexisting housing crisis. I have worked in national housing policy for more than 25 years, most of that time pursuing one goal – to make housing a national priority and not an afterthought.There have been some successes along the way. Perhaps the biggest was a growing recognition that apartments are not just housing of the last resort.They now generally are con- sidered a desirable lifestyle and finan- cially smart housing choice for millions. Sadly, that victory came as a result of the suffering and losses caused by the Great Financial Crisis. If the path to appreciating the impor- tance of housing is a road a hundred miles long, I would say we were at about the 25-mile marker before the pandemic.Within a year, COVID-19 and our national response to it quickly cata- pulted us to say the 50-mile marker. What makes me say that? Please see Outlook, Page 34 INSIDE Despite speculation, the market remains healthy and evictions were down 60% in 2020 Eviction update Colorado public housing authorities become more entrepreneurial and creative Affordable housing PAGES 40-44 A conversation with multifamily experts about investing in value-add renovations Value-add renos PAGE 18 May 2021 PAGE 10 KimDuty Senior vice president of Public Affairs and Industry Initiatives, National Multifamily Housing Council Housing policy emerges as national priority after pandemic Andy Feliciotti, Unsplash Many national policymakers are recognizing the need to address housing instability as a component of the post-pandemic recovery.