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.
Looking Back: Good Outcomes for Affordable Housing on Transit Land, Tenants Facing Eviction, and...
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.
A Movement-Based Federal Housing Agenda
What are the New Deal for Housing Justice and the BREATHE Act and how do they move beyond previous housing agendas?
Affordable BeltLine Project Still in Progress in Atlanta
It was a decade ago when the Atlanta BeltLine partnership set a goal of creating almost 6,000 units of affordable housing, as well as a collaborative of land trusts. What’s happened since? Did the partnership achieve its intended goals?
Fighting for Their Hometown in The Place That Makes Us
A review of the 2020 documentary, The Place That Makes Us, directed by Karla Murthy. 70 minutes.
The Work Continues: Property Maintenance Lawsuits Move Forward, Foster Care Vouchers Pass, and More
In the third installment of Shelterforce articles of old, we look back at what’s been happening with lawsuits against banks that allegedly failed to maintain properties they own in predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods, Medicaid money for housing, community developers elected to office, and vouchers for foster care youth.
Now and Then: Rent Control, Rental Assistance, and Universal Vouchers
In the second installment of updates to Shelterforce articles of old, we check in on how well some of the recommendations, predictions, and worries about rent control, rental assistance, and universal vouchers have aged.
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.
How Have Things Changed? We Look Back at Our Past Coverage
Our first official Under the Lens online series revisits some of our past coverage and asks, “Whatever happened to that?”
Fixing the Harms of Our Eviction System: An Interview with Emily Benfer
Emily Benfer talks about what needs to change in our housing and eviction systems—not just now, but once the pandemic is past, the connections between health and housing, and how she came to be a go-to voice on the eviction crisis.
Housing Field Reacts to Marcia Fudge HUD Nomination
Surprise, frustration, and optimism mingle in response to left-field choice.
Who Should Lead Biden’s HUD?
People in the housing field have strong feelings about many of the candidates under discussion.
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. Michellene Davis is...
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.