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Community Development Field
Shelterforce considers “community development” to be an extremely broad term. But there are still many conversations about the ways in which that broad work happens. Comprehensively or in coalitions of specialized organizations? Locally or regionally? Place or people? While the answers to all of these are usually “both,” there are many conversations to be had about “how.”
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Unsupported Housing: When Stability Isn’t Enough
As the country’s mental health, substance use, homelessness, and affordability crises collide, traditional affordable housing providers say they’re being pushed to fill the gaps left by underfunded supportive systems—without the money, staff, or resources to do so.
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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.
Can Robotics Help Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis?
While affordable housing developers have been slow to embrace automation, for-profit companies are bullish on its prospects. What do they see as the benefits and drawbacks?
Does ‘Innovation’ in Construction Just Mean Fewer Jobs?
“In community development, there are a number of different goals. The first goal, obviously, is to produce housing that is affordable and accessible, but we also have other goals around providing jobs for people.”
Containing Costs Through Shipping Container Housing
Reusing shipping containers for housing has been discussed for years. In West Palm Beach a whole affordable apartment building will be built out of them.
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.
Can New Construction Methods Lower the Cost of Housing?
3D printing, repurposed shipping containers, and offsite manufacturing have been held up as potential solutions to the country’s affordable-housing crisis. But are these new construction technologies helping?
Building Differently: Can It Reduce Construction Costs?
Experiments to lower construction costs, from reusing shipping containers to 3D printing walls, have been happening for years. But are any of these approaches able to provide meaningful savings at scale?
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?
New Public Housing? HUD Has Found a Way
For decades, the number of public housing units across the U.S. has been shrinking. But within the limits of the law and funding, HUD has figured out a way to get back some of the housing that has been lost.
A Once Reliable Way to Refinance Older Affordable Housing Gets Harder to Access
It had been relatively easy for a developer to get 4 percent tax credits, but that’s no longer true in many places. How is this affecting nonprofit housing developers—and could the human infrastructure bill help?
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.”
Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors From Eviction
COVID-19 has led to a surge in intimate partner violence. The Violence Against Women Act prohibits evictions of survivors simply because they have experienced violence in their homes, but such protections can be lacking in LIHTC-funded developments.