In an October 27 webinar, HUD announced that 90% of HUD-assisted residents 62+ are fully vaccinated, that 55% of 18 – 40 year older HUD renters are fully vaccinated, and that 20% of HUD-assisted renters have been told by a doctor or other healthcare provider they had COVID-19.

The data were developed by HUD cross-checked the Census Bureau’s COVID-era Household Pulse Survey data with HUD’s own administrative data. HUD was able to tell which Pulse Survey respondents were HUD-assisted households and their demographics.

Another of the findings: 86% of HUD-assisted renters with household income above $50,000 were fully vaccinated, while only 67% of such households with incomes below $25,000 are.

HUD staff also said HUD-assisted renters struggle with vaccine access. For example, 64.4% of HUD multifamily (Section 8 PBRA, Section 202, Section 811, etc.) households lack high-speed internet access and 18.4% lack a cell phone. Meanwhile, 33.8% of HUD multifamily household have a physical disability and 24.6% lack healthcare access by public transportation.

For HUD-assisted residents who have not been vaccinated because of vaccine hesitancy, the five most common reasons were: concerns about possible side effects, plans to wait and see if it is safe, distrust COVID-19 vaccines, don’t know if a vaccine will protect me, and don’t trust the government.

HUD staff reiterating findings from an earlier report describing the close correlation of characteristics of people most at risk of COVID and HUD residents. HUD-assisted renters are more likely to be older, to have more chronic health conditions, to be less white than their non-HUD-assisted renter peers while they also have greater vaccine access challenges (lacking internet, lacking transportation, and/or having a disability) than non-HUD-assisted renter peers.

HUD’s presentation can be found here.