Tobacco Causes Cancer. Can it Also Build Housing?
“Sin taxes” usually fund health and education programs. Will Colorado add housing to that list? And should they?
Lessons from Post 9/11 America for a Post-COVID Society
A post-COVID society can look different from post 9/11 America if we reject racism, focus on the most vulnerable communities, and balance rapid response with long-term strategies that tackle systemic disparities.
Fighting No-Fault Evictions with a Just Cause Ordinance
Despite a state-wide eviction moratorium, thousands of people have been evicted in Chicago since March. A coalition of housing advocates is proposing a just cause ordinance that would halt no-fault evictions.
We Need a Rural New Deal
COVID-19 is a combined health and economic crisis poised to further devastate rural communities already suffering severe economic stress. Already, rural health care systems...
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.
The Most We Can Do: A National Mandate for Housing Justice
As the United States wrestles with its long history of racial injustice, shared-equity programs stand as one solution to address inequality and exclusion in the realms of housing.
An Eviction Moratorium Is Not Enough—Suspend Rent
What will people do when they’re expected to pay back rent after the crisis is over? Eviction moratoriums are not enough to prevent a homelessness crisis.
Forming Partnerships With Public Health Departments, Part 1: Why It’s a Good Idea
What public health practitioners do and why community partners are essential to their goal of health equity.
Massachusetts Showed States How to Create an Eviction Ban. Now It’s Backpedaling
The Massachusetts eviction moratorium—one of the strongest in the nation—expired, just in time for winter. How did this happen?
What Happens if 23 Million Renters Are Evicted?
Shelterforce spoke with researchers, advocates, lawyers, housing economists, and rental housing industry representatives to understand what that crisis would do to evicted individuals and their families, and to shelter systems, public health, and the rental housing market.
Residents of Nonprofit Housing Have Lower Rates of COVID
Affordable housing providers have touted the connections between health and the places where people live for years. In a small city outside of Boston, the evidence is incontrovertible.
5,000 Meals—Little Tokyo Orgs, Restaurants Team Up to Feed Low-Income Seniors
The Little Tokyo Eats program has so far purchased over $55,000 in food from 11 local restaurants for seniors living in low-income housing in a Los Angeles neighborhood. How did the program make it through a rough first week of food fulfillment?
Community Development Is Crucial in This Moment
One month ago, when I began the first draft of this article, the world was drastically different. Well before we became part of this...
High-Risk, Essential, and Illegally Evicted
Eviction moratoriums are only as good as their enforcement, as one man’s harrowing story in New Orleans shows.
What an Effective Eviction Moratorium Must Include
An eviction moratorium must hit all five phases of eviction to protect public health. Here's what's needed for an eviction halt policy to do its job.
Housers: Now Is the Time to Buy Land
The coronavirus did not end the urban affordability crisis. To the contrary, it is only a matter of time before urban America’s restaurants, bars,...
Duluth Indigenous Groups Reframe Climate Work in Cultural Context
While many conversations about climate resiliency are well-intentioned, they often lack a perspective grounded in community control and cultural context. In this interview, Ivy Vainio and LeAnn Littlewolf from the American Indian Community Housing Organization explore how gardens, worm bins, and solar panels help reclaim agency for Duluth's Indigenous communities.
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...
Making Eviction Diversion Meaningful in Massachusetts
Whether the governor’s rent relief and eviction diversion program will keep people in their homes depends on whether landlords can be persuaded—or compelled—to participate.
COVID Through the Eyes of a South Asian Immigrant Teen
Why the federal government must allocate funds toward mental health counseling for youth and increase access to resources for immigrant families.