Resilience in the Face of a Pandemic: Green Affordable Housing Matters More Than Ever
COVID-19 is quickly changing how we think about the places we live, and about how we will design the new normal. Green building must be part of that vision.
The Case for Building Tiny House Villages During the Pandemic
Tiny house villages cost less than extended hotel stays, can remain in place for years, and can help flatten the curve of disease transmission.
Your Essential Worker May Be a Voucher Holder
How housing assistance programs benefit all of us—and why they should stop leaving people behind.
Response to Pandemic Shows What’s Possible in Housing
We’re seeing bold actions from states across the U.S.—from strong eviction moratoriums in Massachusetts to a major homeless initiative in California. What if these new housing measures were designed to last beyond the coronavirus crisis?
Albuquerque Artists Sustain Connection Despite Social Distancing
Placemaking is an inherently in-person practice, but it doesn’t always have to be. In Albuquerque, an exhibit was reimagined to highlight the work of local photographers, who captured striking images of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We Need Emergency Rental Assistance to Address COVID-19 Fallout
Stimulus funding should be prioritized to stabilize the housing market by providing emergency rental assistance, with adequate resources allotted for state and local governments in a timely and efficient manner.
Relief from the Rent
Rental assistance has been included in the House Democrats’ financial package. It would be none too soon for the people left out of overwhelmed state and local efforts.
Banks Can Earn CRA Credit for COVID Response—But Who’s Benefiting?
All banking activities, regardless of whether they benefit middle- and upper-income or low- and moderate-income people and communities, could count in the next round of CRA exams. This would further disadvantage communities that are already disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
How CDCs are Fighting Back Against Anti-Asian Harassment
Advocates for the Asian-American community say the COVID-19 crisis has led to the most widespread discrimination against them since the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Pandemic Leads to Early Prisoner Release, But Finding Housing for Them Remains Difficult
As the infection rate at jails in places like New York began to climb, officials started looking for criteria to use in determining which inmates could be released. Then they ran into a familiar but now heightened dilemma.
Three Lessons Learned from Working in Isolation
A New York-based organizer says although we may be physically divided due to social distancing, we can be emotionally bounded through our common purpose.
What Prior Disasters Have Taught Housing Advocates About How to Respond to COVID-19
When it comes to helping people maintain or recover their housing, hurricanes and fires aren’t as different from a pandemic as one might think.
Housing Justice Organizers Don’t Want to Return to ‘Normal’
As they organize for immediate relief for those whose housing was affected by the pandemic, tenant leaders are also building power to demand long-term changes.
What Would It Mean to Cancel Rent?
The growing organizing demand raises a host of questions for the affordable housing movement.
CDFIs and the Expansion of the Payroll Protection Program
The Payroll Protection Program is an expansion of a program for banks and credit unions. It offers virtually nothing to nonprofit small-business lenders.
Rent Strikes Launching Around the World May 1
Organizers calling for the cancellation of rent are taking to digital platforms to get the word out about the action, where tenants will withhold some or all of their rent until their conditions are met.
NYC Hospital Closures: Land-Use Decisions Have Life and Death Consequences
How hospital closures in NYC follows an all-too-familiar pattern of disinvestment and a lack of resources in low-income communities of color.
Let’s Interrupt History: Racial Equity in a Time of Crisis
Data on the pandemic shows once again the dramatic consequences of racial inequalities. CDFIs must focus on ensuring equity for Black-owned businesses.
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...
Implement A Market-Wide Program for Post-COVID-19 Homeowner Relief—Immediately
We have learned how to successfully provide broad-based mortgage payment relief to millions of American households in need. There’s nothing to stop us this time around from doing it right.