Or hoping the Fed working its magic does not accidentally cut its lovely assistant in half. quadrillion is after trillion. 

Another market to plug into are traveling healthcare workers (nurses, physical therapists, physicians assistants, etc) www.furnishedfinder.com - they rent shorter term than a long term tenants but longer than VRBO & Airbnb. 

I know it's a slightly higher rate for the down payment assistance, but now I wonder whether the forgivable version is an even higher rate.

The SBA has drastically reduced their requirements for acquiring a small business disaster relief loan.https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19I know there are a lot of locals here on the Austin forum that make their living in the industry. 

Wouldn't it be much easier for the government to assist with rent payments to tenants that might have been financially affected by covid?

I am not familiar with anything above the Florida border so I cannot assist you... other than on general questions about RE Investing.

If I may assist please reach out.

Due to my time and monetary constraints, I see House Hacking as a potential doorway into the Real Estate Investing world.

I don't think that knocking on a door asking for rent would be productive, but maybe a handwritten note on their door, asking them if they need assistance with anything?

And again, CC is an option that Tenants fortunate enough have available during an emergency or you can certainly try to seek financial assistance from the govt. or you can seek a personal loan or you can ask family and friends for assistance or you can downsize all together.