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Pam Fessler Pam Fessler is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where she covers poverty and philanthropy.
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Pam Fessler

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Saturday

Friday

Eviction Prevention Programs Are Racing Against A Moratorium Clock

Maricopa County constable Darlene Martinez evicts a tenant on October 7, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands of court-ordered evictions continue nationwide despite a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) moratorium for renters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

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John Moore/Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

Eviction Prevention Programs Are Racing Against A Moratorium Clock

The Alexandria Eviction Prevention Partnership in Northern Virginia is one of the divergent programs meant to help fight off evictions.

Eviction Prevention Programs Are Racing Against A Moratorium Clock

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Thursday

National

Efforts Increase To Speed Up Rental Assistance Distribution Before Moratorium Ends

With the CDC eviction moratorium extended for a final month, efforts are underway to speed up distribution of billions of dollars in rental assistance and set up eviction diversion programs.

Efforts Increase To Speed Up Rental Assistance Distribution Before Moratorium Ends

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Friday

A Black-White Housing Gap Persists, But One D.C. Woman Persevered And Won

Tasharn Richardson's 11-year-old son, Lionel, helps unload the moving truck at their new home in Washington, D.C. To Tasharn, having a house to call her own always seemed like someone else's dream. Dee Dwyer for NPR hide caption

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Dee Dwyer for NPR

Family

A Black-White Housing Gap Persists, But One D.C. Woman Persevered And Won

The housing gap between Black and white homeowners has been consistent for decades, and so far it continues to widen.

A Black-White Housing Gap Persists, But One D.C. Woman Persevered And Won

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Thursday

Saturday

Exclusive: HUD's Marcia Fudge Says She's Ready To Fight Homelessness As Head Of Panel

A homeless man pushes his belongings along a Los Angeles street. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

National

Exclusive: HUD's Marcia Fudge Says She's Ready To Fight Homelessness As Head Of Panel

The nation's homeless population is expected to rise in the coming months, especially if a federal eviction moratorium ends in June.

Exclusive: HUD's Marcia Fudge Says She's Ready To Fight Homelessness As Head Of Panel

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Friday

National

Marcia Fudge Picked To Head U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

The agency's focus will be different from the Trump administration, which fired the head of the interagency council on homelessness and replaced him with an advocate for a more punitive approach.

Marcia Fudge Picked To Head U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

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Tuesday

'The Stakes Could Not Be Higher': Senate Panel Debates Voting Overhaul

Senate Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., presides Tuesday over a markup of the For the People Act, which would expand access to voting and make other election reforms. House Democrats passed the bill in March. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Politics

'The Stakes Could Not Be Higher': Senate Panel Debates Voting Overhaul

The Senate Rules Committee held a contentious markup of legislation to revamp the nation's voting and campaign finance rules, laying bare the deep partisan divide over how elections should be run.

Government Housing Vouchers Are Hard To Get, And Hard To Use

Some families wait years to get a housing voucher only to find out many landlords won't accept them. Beck Harlan hide caption

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Beck Harlan

National

Government Housing Vouchers Are Hard To Get, And Hard To Use

The federal government plans to release $5 billion in new housing vouchers to help those at risk of homelessness. Low-income tenants often struggle to find landlords who will accept such vouchers.

Government Housing Vouchers Are Hard To Get, And Hard To Use

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Monday

Economy

Why Government Housing Vouchers Can Be Difficult To Use

The Biden administration will distribute $5 billion in emergency housing vouchers included in a COVID-19 relief bill. But it's not always easy for voucher holders to find a place to use them.

Why Government Housing Vouchers Can Be Difficult To Use

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Monday

Virginia Immigrants Hit Hard By Pandemic Fear Eviction, Housing Squeeze

Several residents of the Southern Towers apartment complex in Alexandria, Va., briefly had a campaign asking the landlord to "cancel" rent during the pandemic. Tyrone Turner/WAMU hide caption

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Tyrone Turner/WAMU

The Coronavirus Crisis

Virginia Immigrants Hit Hard By Pandemic Fear Eviction, Housing Squeeze

Many of them work in service industries —as cooks, Uber drivers, nursing aides— jobs that have been especially affected this past year. "I don't have money to pay rent," resident Mahlet Kassa says.

Virginia Immigrants Hit Hard By Pandemic Fear Eviction, Housing Squeeze

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Sunday

Economy

Tenants In Northern Virginia Apartment Complex Worry About Eviction

The complex houses hundreds of immigrants, mostly from Africa. Many of them have faced eviction because they lost service jobs during the pandemic.

Tenants In Northern Virginia Apartment Complex Worry About Eviction

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Friday

Missouri's Long Fight Over Voting Rules Is Now Part Of A Larger National Battle

A crowd attends a rally as part of the 2021 Missouri Voting Rights Lobby Day at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., on March 31. The Republican-led House approved a bill that would impose strict photo ID and other requirements on voting. Jacob Moscovitch for NPR hide caption

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Jacob Moscovitch for NPR

Politics

Missouri's Long Fight Over Voting Rules Is Now Part Of A Larger National Battle

The state's Republican-led House approved a bill that would impose strict photo ID and other requirements on voting. The measure reflects a deep partisan divide over access to the polls.

Missouri's Long Fight Over Voting Rules Is Now Part Of A Larger National Battle

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Thursday

Politics

Missouri's Deep Partisan Divide Over Who Has Access To Voting Polls

Missouri is one of the states where Republican legislators are trying to impose new voting restrictions. Voting advocacy groups are fighting against that. The divide has deep roots.

Missouri's Deep Partisan Divide Over Who Has Access To Voting Polls

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Thursday

HUD: Growth Of Homelessness During 2020 Was 'Devastating,' Even Before The Pandemic

Homeless individuals sleep near a National Guard truck ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

National

HUD: Growth Of Homelessness During 2020 Was 'Devastating,' Even Before The Pandemic

The annual homeless count by the Department of Housing and Urban Development shows an increase in people living outside. The 2020 numbers in the report do not reflect the impact of the pandemic.

HUD: Growth Of Homelessness During 2020 Was 'Devastating,' Even Before The Pandemic

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Tuesday

States Try To Push Out Billions Of Emergency Rental Aid To Families

Katherine Patterson, a single mother with a 3-year-old son, who lives in Kenner, La., lost her job last March and has had trouble since paying rent. Katherine Patterson hide caption

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Katherine Patterson

The Coronavirus Crisis

States Try To Push Out Billions Of Emergency Rental Aid To Families

Congress approved $25 billion in emergency rental assistance to keep people housed during the pandemic, but states are facing glitches on the federal moratorium for renters and landlords.

States Try To Push Out Billions Of Emergency Rental Aid To Families

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Monday

National

Congress Approved Rental Aid — But It'll Be Hard To Get It To Many Who Need It Most

Congress approved $25 billion in emergency rental assistance to keep people housed during the pandemic. States are struggling to get the money out to those who need it.

Congress Approved Rental Aid — But It'll Be Hard To Get It To Many Who Need It Most

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Wednesday

For Black Families, Evictions Are Still At A Crisis Point — Despite Moratorium

Aniya's overnight shift at an Amazon warehouse became impractical when daycare and school were canceled for her two children because of the pandemic. She was able to avoid eviction with the help of a lawyer and emergency rental assistance but she recently received a letter saying that her lease would not be renewed and she had to vacate the apartment. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption

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Race

For Black Families, Evictions Are Still At A Crisis Point — Despite Moratorium

"Black individuals make up about 21% of all renters, but they make up 35% of all defendants on eviction cases," says Peter Hepburn, a researcher for Princeton University's Eviction Lab.

For Black Families, Evictions Are Still At A Crisis Point — Despite Moratorium

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Thursday

Politics

Senate Panel To Hear From Biden's HUD Nominee Rep. Marcia Fudge

President Biden nominated Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The U.S. faces an eviction and housing affordability crisis — made worse by the pandemic.

Senate Panel To Hear From Biden's HUD Nominee Rep. Marcia Fudge

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Monday

For Many Areas, Count Of Homeless Population Is Canceled, Or Delayed

Tents of homeless people line a street in Washington, D.C., in April. Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

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Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Health Care

For Many Areas, Count Of Homeless Population Is Canceled, Or Delayed

The annual street survey of homeless people is being delayed or put off completely in some parts of the U.S. during the pandemic, even as the country's unsheltered population appears to be growing.

For Many Areas, Count Of Homeless Population Is Canceled, Or Delayed

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Wednesday

Thursday

A 2020 Surprise: Fewer Absentee Ballot Rejections Than Expected

A West Bloomfield, Mich., Clerk's Office employee sorts absentee ballots by the precinct and ballot number on Oct. 31. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

2020 Election: Secure Your Vote

A 2020 Surprise: Fewer Absentee Ballot Rejections Than Expected

With many more people voting by mail this fall, election officials feared that millions of ballots would be rejected in the general election. Instead, rejection rates went down across the country.

Wednesday

Elections

Efforts To Help Absentee Voters Drove Down Mail-In Ballot Rejection Rates

More than a half-million mail-in ballots were rejected in this year's primaries due to mistakes and missed deadlines. Officials feared many more would be rejected in November, but that did not happen.

Efforts To Help Absentee Voters Drove Down Mail-In Ballot Rejection Rates

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