CDCs Are Having a Moment. Can the Momentum Last?
Over the past couple of years, community development corporations have been popping up in sometimes-unexpected places across the country. Will this increased interest in CDCs last, or is it a trend that will end when the money runs out?
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.
Dear CDFI Colleagues: It’s Time to be Transparent About Salaries in Job Postings
Companies that value meritocracy perform worse with pay equity when their internal policies do not align with their public-facing statements regarding pay.
A New ‘Normal’: Nonprofits and the Next Phase of COVID
Two years after the pandemic began, community development organizations reflect on what’s changed and how they’re moving forward. Some are still in crisis mode; others are refocusing their work.
How an Obscure HUD Definition Is Leaving Housing Dollars Unspent
Agencies are required to set aside a percentage of their HOME grants for projects led by community housing development organizations. But changes HUD implemented in 2013 have made it harder for nonprofits to receive those funds.
Alphabet Soup: Breaking Down All Those Housing and Community Development Terms
Confused by the acronyms and initials dotting your reading material? All fields have them, and housing is no exception. Here’s what many of the most common mean.
Housers Build Bridges Over the Digital Divide
Internet connectivity has become equally important to households as basic utilities, but millions of people who live in affordable housing still lack access to devices and connections. Housing managers across the country are finding innovative ways to close the digital gap.
Shared Housing Tackles Loneliness in Homeless Services
Transitioning out of homelessness can be a lonely process. To address this, some homeless service providers are giving clients the option to share housing with someone they know, with each receiving their own bedroom.
Shelterforce’s Top 10 Stories of 2021
COVID-19 and evictions, more on the gentrification debate, and the misleading marketing of renters choice—Shelterforce reviews its most-read articles of the year. Which was most important to you?
Pandemic Housing Market Is Not Like the Great Recession’s
The pandemic housing market may be a different beast from the recession market, but the outcomes could be eerily similar.
From an Abandoned Mall to Bustling Community Hub
A medical complex in Mississippi draws on local artists to go beyond doctors' offices and become a gathering place for those living nearby.
9 Tips for Overcoming NIMBY Opposition
Lessons for affordable housing developers from the trenches.
Shifting the Affordable Housing Narrative Through Arts and Culture
Housing activists want to use this political moment to shift long-standing narratives surrounding housing. From film to theater, here are some arts strategies that might work.
The Journey Into Supportive Housing
Venturing into supportive housing can be a daunting task for housing providers. The Vancouver Housing Authority shares the insight they’ve gained over the years through doubling their supportive housing units.
Contracting with the Community
To connect with hard-to-reach communities, a Twin Cities agency diverted some of its consulting budget away from national firms and to organizations that already had those relationships.
How Community Developers Are Using Alternative Construction Methods
Community developers try out new technologies and processes, oftentimes out of a sense of responsibility to help put potential solutions to the test.
After Ida, How Can Affordable Housing Withstand Climate Impacts?
What lessons can Ida offer to affordable housing managers and owners whose properties are at risk of damage from extreme weather events?
Housing Organizations Pivot to Provide COVID Testing and Vaccinations
Some CDCs hope that building trust can save lives now while building a stronger foundation for long-term health. “COVID is a catalyst forcing us to think outside the box, to pivot, to explore our partnerships in different ways.”
Getting Competitive Health Care Systems to Work Together For the Community
Although they were serving the same communities, Philadelphia’s nonprofit hospitals weren’t coordinating with each other. A yearslong process aimed to change that. How did the hospitals eventually come together and what lessons can be drawn to inform hospital collaborations elsewhere?