Miriam Axel-Lute
Miriam Axel-Lute is CEO/editor-in-chief of Shelterforce. She lives in Albany, New York, and is a proud small-city aficionado.
The Only Tool in the Box: What It Means That LIHTC Dominates Affordable Housing
Even those who praise the tax credit program and what it has accomplished are concerned that there are so few sizeable alternatives to it.
LIHTC: How It Started, How It’s Going
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit was created in a moment when other real estate tax preferences were going away—but at the time, no one expected it to grow into the main source of affordable housing finance in the country.
Holding Redlining’s Perpetrators Accountable
Richard and Leah Rothstein talk about their new book, Just Action, inspired by readers of The Color of Law who asked what could be done about the enduring effects of a century of unconstitutional housing discrimination.
Accessible Housing Is Not Just About How Buildings Are Built
The ways in which buildings are managed after they are built also affects how accessible and inclusive they are.
Disability Justice and Equity in Housing
Welcome to Shelterforce’s newest Under the Lens series, Not Just Ramps—Disability and Housing Justice. This introductory article lays out why the connection between disability and affordable housing is so strong, and why it’s so important for housers to understand.
AFFH: Third Time’s the Charm?
What’s the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provision? How has it been enforced in the past? And what do fair housing advocates think of the proposed changes? Shelterforce’s new Under the Lens series—New AFFH Rules: What You Need to Know—explores that and more.
Egg Prices and Rents—What Do They Have in Common?
Avian flu gave companies cover to price gouge. Could the attention to lack of housing supply do the same for landlords?
Biden’s Renters Rights Blueprint: Meaningful or Not?
What should we make of the administration’s tenants rights announcement?
Taking the ADU Model to the Next Level, a Shelterforce and Next City Webinar
How can we get more accessory dwelling units built, keep them affordable, and make them forces for increasing racial equity?
Instead of Toys, These Organizers Want You to Give Rent Money
Rent for Moms is a fundraising campaign looking to help 50 single Black moms in select cities retain or obtain housing by Christmas. Under...
Inflation and the Consumer Price Index—Redirected Page
The article originally published at this url, "Inflation Is Raising Rents—But Not How You Think," has been removed because we have determined that it...
Tenants Rights: It’s Not a Moment, It’s a Movement
In "Tenant Power Returns," Shelterforce examines how the energy and focus in the housing world is returning to tenant organizing.
The Making of Co-op City, the Nation’s Biggest Housing Co-op
Co-op City in the Bronx is the size of a small city—as well as a decades old housing co-op and an island of comparative affordability. How did it come about?
Community Development Field Is Resilient, But on the Edge
New research shows that smaller community-based development organizations in particular are hanging on but facing financial challenges.
Upstate New York Shelter Workers Vote to Unionize
Though Joseph’s House is lauded for its non-judgmental and harm-reduction principles, the shelter’s staff say they need a larger voice in how it’s run.
What Is the Financialization of Housing?
It's a wonky term with real-life consequences. At its most basic level, the "financialization of housing" means treating a home like a financial asset first, and a place to live second. But there are many more perspectives.
Making Money Over Making Homes
Housing has become less about shelter and more about extracting profit. How has that way of thinking changed the market and what are housing advocates trying to do about it? In our new series—Homes or Cash Cows—Shelterforce explores the financialization of housing.
What Does It Take to Get ADUs Built?
In our new series—ADUs Explained—we’ll look at some of the major policy considerations in legalizing accessory dwelling units, how they get built and financed, and the role they can play in our affordable housing landscape.
Making Homeownership Work Better
Programs that help households of color buy homes haven't made much of a dent in the racial wealth gap. But some strategies could generate better outcomes for buyers.
Increased Homeownership Won’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap
Despite the hopes pinned on it, homeownership is currently too affected by racism at every turn to be an equalizer.
