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Lillian M. Ortiz

20 Posts

Lillian M. Ortiz is the managing editor of Shelterforce.
Housing

Paying Hospitals to Build Housing—New Jersey Program Expands

More affordable housing projects approved, new funding for scattered-site improvements for substandard housing, and talks about replicating the program beyond the Garden State.

North Minneapolis tenants pose together with their fists in the air during a barbecue
Eviction

Looking Back: Good Outcomes for Affordable Housing on Transit Land, Tenants Facing Eviction, and More

In our next installment, we take a look at some positive outcomes—what happened with affordable housing on transit-owned land, cooperative agency work in Massachusetts that helped at-risk people, and the Minneapolis tenants who were facing eviction after court wins against their landlord.

Housing

From PETRA to RAD—The Path to Converting 140,000 Public Housing Units

More than $10 billion in private financing has been invested in public housing thanks to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. But housing advocates say it comes at a cost, and there still isn’t enough oversight of the program.

A city scene in Newark New Jersey.
Community Control

Looking Back: Democratic Philanthropy, Newark on the Rise, the Surplus Land Campaign, and More

In this first installment of updates to Shelterforce articles of old, we find that market dynamics are different in many places we’ve written about, but many of the organizations fighting the good fight are continuing to do so, even in changed times.

Housing

Affordable Housing for LGBTQ Seniors

LGBTQ seniors are more likely than peers their age to experience discrimination, leaving them more likely to be poor and have chronic health problems. What does it take to create affordable, LGBTQ-friendly senior housing?

Housing

Where Voters Supported Affordable Housing

It’s no surprise that all eyes have been on the General Election’s presidential and congressional races. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated many of the preexisting conditions of inequality, poverty, and […]

Community Development Field

“Why Would a Hospital Do This?” Shifting Institutional Culture for Health Equity

Hanaa Hamdi is the director of health impact investment strategies and partnerships at New Jersey Community Capital, the state’s largest CDFI. Michellene Davis is the executive vice president and chief […]

COVID

Rent Strikes Launching Around the World May 1

Organizers calling for the cancellation of rent are taking to digital platforms to get the word out about the action, where tenants will withhold some or all of their rent until their conditions are met.

A woman, wearing a sign, stands and points a finger inside a bus.
Arts & Culture

Integrating Arts and Culture Strategies into Transit Plans

Three transit projects show how artists, transit agencies, and community groups helped communities envision more equitable outcomes.

Kennetha Patterson of Homes for All in Nashville speaks on a megaphone during Renter’s Week of Action.
Housing

Tenant Power: Organizing for Rent Strikes and Landlord Negotiations

In the face of high rent increases and substandard housing, many tenants are realizing they are not alone in their landlord troubles and are joining together to push for building-level wins, and policy change.

This Opa-locka, Florida resident had his loan request approved based on his character and not his credit score.
CDFIs

When a Person’s Character Trumps Their Credit Score

Some CDFIs approve loans based on a person’s character instead of their credit score. But they only recommend
doing so when you know the applicant.

Dr. Kelly Kelleher and the Rev. John Edgar walk down a street in Columbus, Ohio.
Health

How a Risk-Averse Hospital and a Risk-Taking CDC Built a Functional Partnership

Shelterforce recently spoke with Angela Mingo of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Rev. John Edgar of Community Development for All People to learn more about their health/housing partnership and how it came to be.