Certain policies provide a cushioning effect and softening the blow. Decreasing suffering in this way prevents a lot of societal pressures down the line. It’s not just about printing money.
Policies like eviction / foreclosure moratoriums are not sustainable long term. Eventually people will need to come off those crutches and start paying their rents and mortgages again. Those things aren't free right now, it's just other people paying for them. Including our future selves via taxes and inflation. The longer this goes on, the more painful it will be for everyone. Long term there is no free lunch. We've been in this crisis long enough that emergency stopgap policies don't make sense any more.
