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: 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
Did promising or ambitious initiatives pan out? Did trends that seemed to be going strong stay on course? We revisit our past coverage and ask, “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.
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.