Shelterforce published more than 120 articles this year—a mix of reported articles, explainers, and voices from the community development and affordable housing fields. Here are the stories that resonated with readers the most.
What stood out to you? Was there a Shelterforce story, series, or video you found important that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comment section below.
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No. 10—Affordable Housing Sector Split on Rent Control, reported by Aaron Fernando. In the Twin Cities, where voters recently supported rent control, most nonprofit housing developers have stayed silent, and some have openly lined up with the developers and landlords who oppose it.
No. 9—Affordable Housers Face Deepening Rental Arrears and Ballooning Expenses, reported by Corey McDonald. Four years after the pandemic first wrought havoc on the American economy, nonprofit housers are being overwhelmed by rental arrears. Can they balance their social mission against their operational realities?
No. 8—In Upstate New York, the Fight for Good Cause Continues, reported by Shelterforce’s housing fellow Frances Nguyen. More and more cities are opting into New York’s new Good Cause Eviction Law. What are tenant organizers doing to make the law work better for their communities?
No. 7—Redlining Maps Didn’t Affect Neighborhoods the Way You Think They Did, a research-related piece by Alan Mallach, senior fellow at the Center for Community Progress. Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps have long been blamed for racial inequities in today’s Black neighborhoods, but recent research shows that’s misleading.
No. 6—In the Rush to Build, Existing Affordable Housing Is Falling Apart, an opinion piece by Priya Jayachandran, CEO of the National Housing Trust. With attention—and funding—focused on new housing supply over preservation and operations, even mission-driven nonprofit affordable housing managers are struggling to maintain decent conditions in older affordable housing.
No. 5—Soaring Property Rates Threaten Affordable Housing, reported by Franklin Schneider. Rapidly rising insurance premiums are forcing affordable housing developers to cut back on programming, lay off staff, and even sell. To add insult to injury, some insurers also seem to be adding penalties or withdrawing coverage for housing voucher holders.
No. 4—Colorado Wants to Give Tenants Money for Paying Rent, reported by Roshan Abraham. A new statewide program aims to help renters benefit from the value they add to the buildings they live in. Here’s how the program could work, and when it could begin.
No. 3—Mixed Results: How an Eviction Prevention Program Is Going, by Shelterforce’s investigative reporter Shelby R. King. In 2019, a large affordable housing operator implemented a unique program meant to reduce evictions across its properties. Several years, one pandemic, and an economic downturn later, we check in to see how the landlord—and the tenants—are faring.
No. 2—Dual Crisis: Housing in a Changing Climate, an 8-part series led by Lara Heard, Shelterforce’s associate editor. Americans are struggling more than ever to find and maintain housing they can afford. The climate crisis is only making things worse. In this series, Shelterforce takes a deeper look at the intersection of housing and climate change, and the threat a changing climate poses to the nation’s stock of affordable housing. What are some of the possible solutions and challenges to address that threat?
No. 1—How Project 2025 Could Dismantle HUD, by Shelterforce’s investigative reporter Shelby R. King. The Heritage Foundation’s “conservative playbook” isn’t new, but critics say the latest version’s policies and platforms are more discriminatory and dangerous than in the past.
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