Low-income families face the greatest hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic. Making matters worse, the pandemic poses challenges for the safety net programs for these families. The health dangers of the coronavirus and resulting shutdowns have made it hard for these families to meet basic needs such as shelter.
This brief is part of a broader study exploring how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds can support families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It describes housing-related challenges that families experiencing homelessness faced during the pandemic, both nationally and in four communities we visited. It then focuses on how the TANF agency in one of the communities, Boulder County, Colorado, responded to the housing needs by shifting their policies and operations to better serve families in need of, housing, assistance.