Doug Ryan
Doug Ryan is a senior fellow for Prosperity Now. He was formerly the organization's director of affordable homeownership initiatives.
How to Temper the Influence of Private Equity in Manufactured Housing
The risk of onerous lot rent increases and the fear of eviction are more threatening than ever as private equity enters the manufactured housing market.
Equitable Tax Reform Begins at Home(ownership)
Talk of tax reform has reached a fever pitch, but most Americans don't realize just how high the stakes are and what impact the final legislation could have on their own financial security for years to come.
Why Giving Up on Homeownership Is Giving In
These ideas aren’t new, but pulling them together in a collective, coherent way will push back against those who, like their predecessors of 80, 70, 60 and 50 years ago, would deny long-term stability to those for reasons more than just the color of their money.
Homeownership Equity Depends on Racially Equitable Policy
Once again, we hear rumblings that housing finance reform, the wind-down of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the retooling of the mortgage marketplace...
In the Delta, Homeownership Strategies Need Innovation
Earlier this month, the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for...
Stopping Declining Homeownership Requires More than Affordability
According to recent research, the availability of starter and “trade-up” homes is in the midst of a four-year decline,...
Say What, Washington Post? Declining Homeownership Rates Aren’t a Good Thing
On Aug. 3, The Washington Post published a remarkable opinion piece by Charles Lane, one of the paper’s editorial...
To Reduce Recidivism Rates, Turn to Housing Policy
A couple months ago here on Rooflines, I wrote about the value of addressing housing challenges that many former...
From Homelessness to Homeownership in Nine Months. It’s Possible
Earlier this month, I had the chance to speak at the 14th annual conference of an organization new to...
Scoring Homeownership: Looking at the Long Game
Today’s economic climate offers little hope to many struggling families. Family incomes still lag in comparison, for example, to rising housing costs in many markets.
Looking for Solid Returns? Invest in Criminal Justice Reform
In my last life, I worked at a large public housing authority, where one of my tasks was to...
Affordable Housing Preservation of the Past and How It Can be Relearned
Over a quarter century ago, affordable housing advocates, housing providers, and public officials began to fully recognize a potential...
Better Loans, Better Laws: Showing Communities What “Home” Looks Like
For generations, Americans from across the nation, the demographic spectrum and the income strata have strived for homeownership, working...
Industry and Advocates: To Truly Help Homeowners, Work Together
In recent months, the once very under-the-radar debate about manufactured home financing has gotten much more attention than is...
Big Sky, Big Opportunity?
Montana is an interesting state for manufactured housing. Looking at the policy and data environments of this component of...
Article Reveals Manufactured Housing Industry’s Greed
Earlier this month, the Center for Public Integrity and The Seattle Times released an investigative article examining the business...
New Report Dampens Outlook for Would-Be Homebuyers
While few housing advocates have unbridled hopes for truly affordable homeownership in Manhattan—where in order to live “comfortably,” a...
Amidst Congressional Missteps, Housing Opportunities Remain
Here in Washington, Congress has finally done its primary job: that of funding the government. The process of last-minute scrambling and late-night bargaining is clearly no way to run a government—as members of Congress and their staff become harried, priorities don’t get properly vetted. This style of governance also offers an opportunity for special interests […]
Manufactured Housing as a Bridge Over the Affordability Gap
Although the percentage of new manufactured homes placed in manufactured home communities is still relatively low–about 30 percent in 2013—78 percent of the total new manufactured homes were titled as personal property.
Homeownership Is Still Very Much an Asset-Building Strategy
Homeownership is, of course, still American’s greatest source of wealth and asset appreciation, and a key component of CFED’s work....