Housing Advocacy

Sustainability is about thriving, not just surviving. We will not thrive if we are poorly paid martyrs to a good cause, and thus, in a healthy, diverse and vital food system, some of our efforts might need to be directed to those who can pay nine dollars for a jar of pickles.

Whenever you hear (or read) anti-rent control arguments, ask the question: who benefits from banning rent control? And who is hurt?

Shelterforce took the occasion of Michael Bodaken’s retiring from the National Housing Trust to speak with him about how he got into housing, some of his favorite projects, and his recommendations for the field going forward.

A university study on rent control makes three crucial mistakes in its assessment of the policy’s effect on San Francisco’s housing market. Housing advocacy organization Tenants Together sets the record straight on rent control’s role, and who is actually to blame for the city’s unaffordability.

Why are nuisance ordinances proliferating nationwide, and who is disproportionately affected?

Methods from a successful organizing campaign from the past can inform the basis of a new electoral constituency around housing.

Growth of new business is a sign of a robust economy, but New York City’s true success hinges on ensuring that all residents have access to opportunity and community resources.

Why housing messaging is backfiring and recommendations on how to change course.

Twenty years later, it’s hard to overstate how wise I think that group of board members was in imposing its residency requirement on me. While initially skeptical, over the years I’ve learned some powerful lessons about the benefits of proximity.

Private developers and public agencies are finally investing in neighborhoods near transit and jobs—where many low-income communities of color have lived for generations—and as a result, are being pushed out just as resources in their neighborhoods are increasing.

Talk of tax reform has reached a fever pitch, but most Americans don’t realize just how high the stakes are and what impact the final legislation could have on their own financial security for years to come.

It is often said that you get what you pay for. Clearly, too little is being paid to create positive change in America’s most vulnerable places.