Rebel eviction-enforcers are helping tenants stay in their homes

During 2020, the city of Cleveland reduced the rate of people experiencing homelessness by 30% due to provisions put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Using eviction moratoriums for those at risk of losing their homes, and hotels for those who were unhoused, the agencies responding to homelessness along with the city and county were able to better engage with the community's needs.

Missouri legislators passed a law in 2019 clarifying that prosecutors can divert criminal cases to social services and healthcare agencies even before charges are filed. Small experiments that had been taking place in recent years suddenly grew in St. Louis County to help the courts focus only on serious cases during pandemic shutdowns. Now those innovations are spreading, as more drug cases and other low-level cases avoid the courts altogether. This eases the burden also on people, who in traditional drug courts still get arrested and face employment barriers even if their cases eventually get dropped.

Sweden’s refusal to enact strict lockdown rules turned out to be far from an unqualified success, but in both its failures and modest benefits it offers lessons on managing through a pandemic while minimizing economic harm. The country’s responses were more nuanced and detailed than a simple hands-off approach. Its economy has not been spared a severe downturn, nor is its death toll anything to brag about. But, in numerous ways, Sweden’s softer approach lives up to its billing as more sustainable than many other countries’.

Spain's collectivist culture, free public-health system, and economic support structures have helped the country to combat the spread of coronavirus. One measure – known as "temporary employment regulation file, or expediente de regulación temporaria de empleo" – specifically helps those who would have otherwise lost their jobs due to business closures by allowing the employer to sign his or her employees up :to get paid by the state a monthly amount of approximately 70 percent of her/his latest taxable salary."

The Paycheck Protection Program, a program launched by the federal government to help small businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic, has helped the community in New Hampshire save about 40,000 jobs. Although not all small businesses are keen to take the loan because of the strict stipulations that must be met for it to be forgivable, overall, 7,400 loans have been approved so far.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund has ramped up its spending to pay bail for people with low-level charges. The COVID-19 threat has added urgency to this increasingly popular response to the cash bail system. With jails and prisons posing a great threat to inmates during a pandemic, there have been increased calls to release non-violent inmates to slow the spread and protect those experiencing incarceration.

Although Nebraska’s governor never ordered a statewide shutdown, shuns mandates, and the state’s vaccination rate is not high, the state has had an efficient and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nebraska has fared among the best in the country when it comes to health, economic, social, and educational factors. The success is due to a combination of solid pre-existing medical infrastructure, particularly in infectious disease, and efficient state government that allowed the state to function logistically without relying on the federal government.

Technology has allowed courts across the country to maintain - and even expand, -services during COVID-19. In Utah, courts held remote hearings and used Doodle to schedule hearings and request interpreters. The virtual schedules filled up fast and, in some cases, officials had to bring laptops and tablets to people who lacked access to technology. Spreading the word in unique ways, including social media, and setting up mobile courts addressed some access issues, particularly among people experiencing homelessness.

An all-digital system delivered monthly payments to millions of Togolese people in need during the coronavirus. The platform, built in two weeks, immediately verifies applicants’ eligibility and instantly sends a text message with electronic funds. The program’s rollout began with monthly stipends to in need around Lomé and has slowly expanded to other groups. Most recently, researchers used algorithms using satellite images to first identify impoverished communities based on their layout and housing materials and then used mobile phone data to identify the poorest individuals within those regions.

Spain achieved one of the highest vaccination rates among Western countries in part because of longstanding trust and confidence in the public health system and data-informed strategies. The public generally trusted the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine because of a history of cooperation and positive public health outcomes. The norm of inter-generational living also gave young people more incentive to get vaccinated to protect their elderly residents and officials used this as part of the public health messaging. Officials also personally called and set up vaccine appointments for everyone they could reach.