Every American is being tested by the COVID-19 crisis. Coloradans have certainly endured their share of the health and economic challenges it has created. While Gov. Jared Polis took appropriate action with a statewide stay-at-home order, the economic ramifications are real and immediate, particularly for Centennial State renters who are worried about being able to afford their apartment homes.

The federal government issued one-time, direct emergency payments to provide financial relief to millions of Americans whose income has been disrupted by COVID-19. Those dollars arrived for many this past week and more will receive funds in the coming days. The relief package also includes enhanced unemployment insurance coverage so that workers, including part-time and gig employees, are eligible to have nearly all of their income replaced if they’re out of a job or have had their hours cut back. That should help families keep their heads above water, but making rent payments is still a serious concern.

Many of Colorado’s property owners have committed to helping renters who have fallen on hard times. Evictions have been halted for those financially impacted by the crisis and rent increases and late fees have been put on hold. Owners and operators are working with renters who have lost jobs and wages to set up flexible plans that allow for partial rent payment. And many have invested in enhanced cleaning and sanitation at properties. Everyone is in agreement that families cannot lose the roofs over their heads during this crisis.

Our nation has come together to try to keep the economy functioning while supporting those impacted. But the recent Denver City Council proclamation asking Gov. Polis to issue a statewide freeze on rent payments would have devastating effects on Colorado’s economy and renters, including those working on the front lines of the public health emergency.

Unfortunately, activists in the state’s biggest population centers have seized on the challenges confronting us all to argue that property owners and management companies should bear the brunt of the crisis. Some Denver elected officials have responded by demanding that renters in all corners of the state – regardless of their employment status – be freed of their financial commitments. But the taxpayer-funded relief package was designed to support renters facing these very problems.

What will the impact be if renters who can afford to pay their rent stop, or if renters don’t use relief funds in part to continue meeting their obligations as best they can? If people stop sending rent checks, the security and safety of the homes of the 32 percent of Coloradans who rent could be at risk. Renters in Colorado Springs and beyond would be hurt by this dangerous proposal.

Rental housing providers are overwhelmingly small businesses that count on timely rent payments to cover their own financial obligations – mortgages, utilities, property taxes, insurance and payroll. If rent checks stop flowing, those businesses could begin failing, putting the jobs of 25,000 Coloradans employed by the apartment industry at risk. That throws more people onto the unemployment rolls, further taxing our ability to weather the storm.

At a time when we’re all being asked to stay at home for the health and safety of our communities, property owners and management companies will be unable to sustain the safety and maintenance needs that are critical to renters during this difficult time. Without rent payments to cover costs, who will fix your plumbing, keep common areas clean and disinfected and prevent unwanted intruders from taking advantage of a bad situation? Don’t nurses, physicians, first responders and food workers who live in apartments deserve clean, safe buildings to come home to?

Those struggling to pay their rent should work with property owners to find flexible solutions. It’s also incumbent on those fortunate enough to continue working through this crisis to stay current. Doing so keeps businesses that employ and house hundreds of thousands of Coloradans solvent and communities safe.

These are trying times. Everyone is hurting. But granting some in Denver’s wish and freezing rents will make the crisis more painful than it needs to be.

Doug Bibby is president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, an organization of more than 1,500 member firms involved in the multifamily housing industry.