The success behind stimulus payments and unemployment benefits during the height of the pandemic underscores the need for expanding income assistance and a shift towards universal basic income, according to a new report from the Boston Foundation.

The concept of periodic payments to all individuals has become a “policy with growing currency,” according to Stanford University, with the launch of pilot programs in the US and elsewhere in the world.

Acknowledging that “political will” at the federal level isn’t strong enough yet for broad-based income payments, the report noted that state officials can expand the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, with additional cash for people earning less than $70,000 per year.

“These interventions and others that aim to guarantee a basic income level are important in finding ways to put more money in the pockets of households that need it the most and helping to overcome the pervasive income inequality here in Greater Boston and across the country,” researchers said in the report.

The state’s own efforts to get to $15 per hour minimum wage by 2023 is an example of “modest” progress towards “greater wage equity,” they added.

They also pitched the “universal basic income” concept in the Boston Foundation’s annual “Greater Boston Housing Report Card,” with a focus on the pandemic’s effect on the region’s housing market and the rise of inequality in income and wealth. The majority of Black and Hispanic/Latinx households are made up of renters, while the majority of white households are homeowners.

“Black and Hispanic/Latinx households are more housing-cost burdened than their White counterparts,” the report said. “They typically spend a higher share of their income on monthly rent or mortgage payments, real estate taxes, and utilities.” 

The report calls for the quick release of housing-dedicated federal funds and simplifying the application process for rental assistance.

Supply and demand is in full effect within the Massachusetts housing market as the number of vacancies and homes available for purchase have dropped to record lows, the report noted.

“While a few local markets have softened, such as student housing and high-end downtown rentals in the city of Boston, there is little indication that supply has caught up with long-term demand,” the report added.

The report also recommended legalizing small-scale multifamily housing and broadening the mandate for multifamily zoning in communities with access to public transit, which is available under Gov. Baker’s housing bill that led to the adoption of new state zoning laws earlier this year.

“The ability of hundreds of thousands of people to successfully work from home, and the likelihood of hybrid work arrangements continuing for some after the pandemic, has opened many new possibilities for the future growth of Greater Boston,” the report said.

Turning to evictions, the report notes that state and federal efforts, such as moratoriums, to stem the tide have slowly pulled back. In particular, some city neighborhoods saw higher eviction filing rates than most other parts of the state as the Massachusetts economy recovers from the pandemic.

“The neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan experienced the highest eviction filing rates, at 233, 184, and 194 filings per 10,000 renter-occupied units, respectively,” the report noted. “The rest of Boston was not impacted at nearly the same rate.” The rates reflect filings and landlords asking for enforcement of a rental agreement in court, not evictions that occurred.

The period covering the filings is from January 2020 to March 2021.

“As we know, high housing costs lead to crowding with consequences for health, creates vulnerability for eviction or foreclosure, and generates greater urgency to work even in unsafe circumstances,” the researchers wrote. “Furthermore, this is a far-reaching burden that crosscuts all but the wealthiest households and hampers community economic development and stability. Because of this, equity of housing affordability is at the nexus of our communities’ most critical needs in Greater Boston.”