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.
Will the Joe Biden Administration Bring Rent Relief?
President-Elect Joe Biden has a substantial housing plan, which clearly draws heavily from the affordable housing and community development fields. The plan is thoughtful...
“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....
Policing, Segregation, and Causation vs. Correlation
Racial disparities in police killings increase with segregation. Does this mean segregation causes racialized police violence?
Fair Housing Is Still the Law, Even if Trump Refuses to Enforce It
Repudiating the requirement to affirmatively further fair housing is another example of this administration’s race baiting and disregard for both the spirit and the letter of the law.
How Do We Change the Narrative Around Housing?
In-depth public opinion research points to ways to intensify support for housing justice policies—and to a few danger spots to avoid.
Racial Equity, Housing, and COVID: A Roundtable
Six regional and state housing advocates discuss the connections between uprisings over racial injustice, the pandemic, and the need for housing security.
The Case for Letting Developers Pay Not Build
The question of integrating affordable housing units required by inclusionary zoning on-site versus allowing developers to pay a fee to locate them off-site has long been a contentious one.
Community Organizations Have to Talk About Police Violence Directly
It’s easy to quickly refocus the conversation around police violence on the problems our organizations are already set up to fix—here’s why we shouldn’t.
What Would It Mean to Cancel Rent?
The growing organizing demand raises a host of questions for the affordable housing movement.
Nonprofit Housing Providers Face Down COVID-19
As organizers struggle to get strong eviction moratoriums passed and enforced around the country, there’s one sector where evictions during the pandemic were not...
Ilhan Omar Proposes Bill to Cancel Rent, Mortgage Payments During Pandemic
A bill announced today by Rep. Ilhan Omar would release tenants and homeowners from housing payments until the national emergency is lifted, and would make up the losses to landlords and lenders through a federal fund.
HUD Urged to Make Tenant Income Adjustments Automatic by April 1
Preventing catastrophe when eviction moratoriums lift requires reducing tenants' rent quickly—which advocates say is fully within HUD's power.
The Many Fronts of COVID-19 Related Housing Needs and Measures
Stable housing is crucial during a pandemic. Front-line providers and local governments are moving to address the impacts, but they need more federal funds
Business as Usual: Trump Agencies Resist Calls to Suspend Non-Essential Rulemaking
Congressional leaders and community advocates are calling on HUD and financial regulators to suspend non-essential rulemaking. HUD appears to refuse.
Harm Reduction Policing?
Shelterforce spoke with 2019 MacArthur fellow Lisa Daugaard about how her work in homelessness set her on her path, and how diversion programs can build political will to increase support for affordable housing and public health.
Pulling the Rug From Under Community Development?
Investments and funding motivated by the Community Reinvestment Act are more foundational to the work of community developers than is often discussed. But if regulations change the incentives for banks, the effects on communities will be dramatic.
Bringing Justice Home
Chances are high that community developers are working in areas and with populations that are being strongly affected by overpolicing and hyper-incarceration. In this issue we take a look at that intersection.
Not All Rent Regulations Are Created Equal
As we work toward passing rent regulations in cities and states across the country, there’s an important distinction we should be making between two different sets of goals and approaches, and they could line up with some terms that are currently used interchangeably.
Beyond a New Rail Stop
Expanding rail lines shouldn't dominate transportation talk. Making improvements to existing transit can make a big difference for low-income households.
Tiny Houses: Does Size Matter?
The suggestion of tiny houses as a solution to housing unaffordability is both condescending and impractical. Here's why.