Unhoused people staying in emergency shelter, individuals who are incarcerated or living in residential treatment programs, halfway houses and residential re-entry programs are at a unique risk for the spread of COVID-19.  Reducing crowding in these facilities through rapid rehousing, expanded shelter sites and criminal justice reform are essential measures for local governments. Ensuring priority access for those at highest risk for

To ensure the safety and health of all residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, accurate and timely information needs to be made available and readily accessible in multiple languages, including ASL (American Sign Language). Denying equitable language access to critical information, by overlooking the needs of residents whose primary language is not English exacerbates the risk for all. City leaders can set the tone

Last week, the American people came to know the brilliance of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Center for Allergies and Infectious Disease. His sharp mind, competent leadership style, and a steady hand – even in a crisis – have been known to many of us in public health for quite some time. It

Communities with large immigrant populations may be at risk for greater exposure to COVID-19 because of new rules that have been implemented by the Trump Administration. These rules include increased enforcement efforts to remove all undocumented immigrants, implementation of stricter public charge rules and closure of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices which process

Supporting Seniors, People with Disabilities and People with Underlying Medical Conditions during COVID-19 Older adults and people with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and lung ailments, are more likely than younger, healthier people to experience serious symptoms from the illness caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19).  The immune system grows weaker as one ages, which makes it

A historically heated conversation around paid sick leave might come to a boil today, Wednesday, April 1, when the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) goes into effect. Two things will change: Certain employees will be entitled to two weeks (80 hours) of paid sick leave over and above any time already taken off. Certain

Today is the most important holiday of the decade. We only get to celebrate it for about 10 minutes once every 10 years and, for many of your residents, this will be their first time celebrating!   It’s Census Day!   NLC is excited to support municipal leaders with information and tools to best implement Get–Out–The Count (GOTC) plans. We never anticipated, however, that our communities would be celebrating Census Day in such isolated and challenging conditions. Getting a full and accurate count for the 2020 Census was

Cities and towns across the country are seeing widespread closures of K-12 and post-secondary education institutions. Currently these closures may be extended well beyond the original two-to-four-week span, pending continued assessment of uncertain developments in the Coronavirus outbreak. Millions of children, parents, teachers and school workers are/will experience significant disruptions that extend well beyond students’ education achievements. Significant social, nutritional, housing and health services are also affected by school closures. The most vulnerable people will be hurt the most, as times of crisis especially expose

Cities across the United States, from Burlington, Vermont to Los Angles, California, are being nimble to stop the spread of COVID-19 in their communities by taking proactive measures to ensure individuals experiencing homelessness are protected during this crisis. However, recommendations to exercise social distancing and to shelter in place are nearly impossible for those in

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, local governments are not only forced to provide essential services under dangerous circumstances, they are also responsible for clearly communicating emergency procedures to the public. This often requires taking terms used by emergency personnel and translating them for a much broader audience. The task of taking technical information