In an outdoor nature setting, a Black man sits in a field of grass and white flowers. The man is bald, has an extended goatee, and is looking to the left. He is wearing a blue and white long sleeve dress that is cut off at the ankles. One hand is resting in grass and the other on his lap. Reported Article

How the Trump Administration Is Weakening the Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws

May 15, 2025 | Jesse Coburn

Starting with cases involving sexual orientation and identity, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is hobbling enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Said one HUD attorney: “People are really being harmed by it.”

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To represent the Trump administration: The portico of the White House overlooking the South Lawn. An imposing building with columns marking a two-story portico and a balcony on the second floor. Angled staircases on either side lead up to the first floor. On the lawn, trees in leaf frame the portico on either side. The photo has an eerie red tint. Reported Article

What’s Happened With Housing Since Trump Came Into Office

May 12, 2025 | Shelterforce

Our running list of major federal housing actions since Jan. 20.

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Close view of reproduction of the 5th Amendment with U.S. Constitution behind it. Low angled light shows the texture of paper. Text of amendment that is visible reads "to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime,/(next line) except in cases arising in the." The document in the background shows only the preamble and "Article I." Practitioner Voice

Supreme Court Considers Landlord Appeal That Could Overturn Tenant Protections

May 7, 2025 | Spencer Bailey

A legal case claiming that COVID-era eviction moratoriums were unconstitutional could spell trouble for tenant protections

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A smiling black man in a cream-colored hoodie and gold do-rag is seated on the grass by a walkway. Next to him is a large flower that appears to be made of fabric or paper. Round in shape, large white petals, with a golden center.
Poetry

Poem: Art of Protest

May 16, 2025 | LindoYes

Neighborhoods in many cities resist stadium development proposals. This poem reflects on a recent case in Philadelphia. 

A group of people holding cutout fists stand in front of a building. The fists say "say their name," "I am human," "trans lives matter" and other messages. Behind the fists are banners with the faces and names of various people.
Art

Art: “The Parade,” Works of Social Commentary by Philly-Based Spiral Q

April 29, 2025 | Lara Heard

Puppets, banners, and more—this Philly-based group helps organizations respond to social issues with art.

Inside a framed peaked-roof house, four people are working. One is laying two-by-fours on the floor to frame a wall; one is using a table saw, and two are standing at the far wall looking at something out of camera view. Out the large doorway (which has no door yet) can be seen a house across the street, and piles of lumber.
Reported Article

Is DOGE Coming After NeighborWorks?

April 23, 2025 | Miriam Axel-Lute

Though it hasn’t taken any action yet, DOGE has officially assigned a team to NeighborWorks America. The congressionally chartered nonprofit provides resources and training to a network of hundreds of local organizations that develop affordable housing and support homeowners and communities.

About 10 people in cool-weather clothing stand in front of large glass domes holding green signs with white/black lettering reading "Vote Yes on Prop 1A."
Reported Article

How Social Housing Won in Seattle, Despite a Flood of Big Tech Money

April 21, 2025 | Roshan Abraham

Voters chose to provide a new social housing development authority with the funding it needs to succeed—despite opposition from the mayor and tech corporations.

View from behind of three officers in black shirts that read "Police/Ice" taking a handcuffed man in jeans and a white T-shirt toward a partially visible truck. Two of the officers are men, one a pony-tailed woman.
Reported Article

ICE Is Coming to Your Building—Are You Ready?

April 15, 2025 | Shelby R. King

If you have residents or clients who might be targeted by ICE (you do), it’s crucial to know what to do, and what not to do, when immigration officials show up.

Large imposing building with two peaked-roof five story sections joined by a lower section with a flat roof. The two taller parts have Greek columns. Trees in front are beginning to bud; two cars are parked at meters along the curb.
Practitioner Voice

How Education and Housing Advocates Worked Together to Win More Rental Assistance

April 14, 2025 | Katherine Davis and Jessica Shiller

In Maryland, parents and school leaders joined with housing advocates to win additional rental assistance, targeted to families in the state’s community schools.

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Featured Under the Lens Series

Street Blocks to Alphabet Blocks: The Housing-Education Connection

In this Under the Lens series, we explore the ways the educational justice and housing justice movements overlap, why it’s challenging for these two spheres to work together, and much more. If you prefer listening to the series, you can here.
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The Housing-Education Intersection

November 11, 2024 | Miriam Axel-Lute

Stable, healthy, decent affordable housing sets children up for educational success, and allows schools to be able to focus on what they do best. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute breaks down the housing-education connection and what you can expect in our new series.
An overhead view of a large crowd of people on a march, many holding printed or hand-drawn posters, with mssages such as "The Time is Now" and "Teachers First!" Under the marchers' winter wraps, red T-shirts with white lettering are partly visible, and many wear red knitted caps. A large banner carried by two marchers reads "Education Justice is Racial Justice."

Education and Housing Advocates: Better Together, But Too Often Apart

November 12, 2024 | Frances Nguyen

The pandemic reminded us how education and housing affect each other. Now some advocates are fighting to make sure no one forgets it.
Streetside view of the School District of Philadelphia building, of tan brick. Broad steps (about 10) leade up to three double-door entrances. The building number 440 is over the portico.

To Make Schools Better for Everyone, Connect Them to Community Development

November 14, 2024 | Ryan Good

Schools affect their neighborhoods—if community developers don’t harness that connection for equitable change, someone else will.
A school cafeteria or other large room crowded with elementary school kids of varying skin tones. The air above them is filled with confetti and many are clapping. Open mouths indicate cheering or yelling. At the back of the room are three adults, two clapping and one operating the confetti blower.

Expanding the Mission: The Community Groups Serving Schools

November 19, 2024 | Padmini Raghunath

Some community development organizations have added education to their traditional focus on housing and economic development. By partnering with local school districts, they’re looking for ways to support families and children in their neighborhoods. How’s it working?
Four little girls with light brown skin and straight black hair hold up watercolor paintings. One girl's face is concealed behind her canvas; the others are smiling. They are standing by a wall with paper cutouts of rabbits and eggs and large colorful letters taped to it.

Why Some Affordable Housing Managers Are Running Education Programs

November 21, 2024 | Zoe Sullivan

Many housing organizations are finding that educational programs are a logical—and valuable—addition to their offerings.

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In New Jersey, Pivotal Affordable Housing Decision Turns 50

March 28, 2025 | Miriam Axel-Lute

The Mount Laurel Doctrine is credited with helping to create 75,000 affordable homes in New Jersey. But, of course, it hasn’t been a simple panacea either.
A crowd of marchers in a city street of high-rises and older buildings, most carrying colorful hand-lettered signs advocating housing for all. In the foreground, a person in an orange T-shirt carries a large daisy-shaped sign that reads "Homes for All"

Six Reasons Why Housing Is a Human Right

March 25, 2025 | Fran Quigley

A law professor explains why housing should be—and someday might be—considered a human right in the United States.
A scenic shot of the Soda Mountain Wilderness in Oregon. A person stands on a rock on the left side of the image, and they are viewing rows of green trees and mountains in front of them.

Public Lands Can Help Us Tackle the Housing Crisis in the West

February 14, 2025 | Mark Allison

The U.S. owns more than 650 million acres of public lands, and it has the power to sell or lease limited parcels for affordable housing. But mass disposal of public lands, as some legislators have proposed, is not the answer.

Job Listings: A Shelterforce Resource

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Development Consultant (remote) new
International Center for Community Land Trusts Madison May, 15
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The Planning Office for Urban Affairs 84 State Street, Boston May, 06
Executive Director
Upper Valley Haven White River Junction May, 01
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Project Home 3841 Kipp St, Madison, WI 53718, Madison Apr, 30

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