Housing

Housing matters. A stable, quality, affordable home is a foundation for so many other parts of life. How do we bring it in reach for everyone?

An illustration of a home being grab by giant hands. In the background, a red plane holds a banner that reads "We Buy Ugly Houses!"

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”

HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.
A row of New York Police Dept. cars lined up, half on the sidewalk, half in the gutter. At least 7 cars can be counted. Cars are white with blue lettering. At left, a woman is walking in the road past the cars.

New Yorkers Need Land. The NYPD Is Sitting On Nearly 150 Lots.

A new map reveals how much land in New York City is being wasted by city police—often sitting vacant, rather than serving the public good.
View from the end of the driveway of a new-looking white two-story house with a two-car garage, front porch with an overhang, and a gabled roof. The front yard is still all muddy soil with tire tracks.

When a Land Bank Starts a Land Trust

An Ohio land bank adds to its developing power through a nonprofit land trust.
A surface covered with (and hidden by) $100 bills

Landlords on Notice: Section 8 Discrimination Will Cost You

Landmark lawsuits in D.C., New York, and California make source of income discrimination risky for landlords. 
A room bare of furnishings except a mattress on the floor. The walls are yellow, the window frame is light green. The blinds are closed. There's a bare-bulb light fixture on the wall casting a glary light

Who Gets Tenant Protection Vouchers?

A program to stabilize residents whose subsidized housing is disrupted has also been used to support other highly vulnerable residents, but those uses are a matter of controversy.
The Virginia State Capital seen frmo the bottom of the steps leading up to it, on a sunny day.

Should Virginia Build Housing for Public Servants on Public Land?

Amid widespread rent increases, directing public land to affordable housing could allow people to stay in their communities, as well as reduce commutes and employee turnover.
Aerial view of a suburb with hundreds of houses built close together on curving streets and no sign of green anywhere

Is the Solution to Homelessness Obvious?

Some say yes. But simply making it easier to build will not reach those who are unhoused.

Why Bangor’s Affordable Housing Policies Won’t Address Homelessness

After the population of unhoused people in Bangor increased during the pandemic, the city put forward a series of affordable housing solutions. But the new policies may harm unhoused residents rather than help them.
A person holding eggs.

Egg Prices and Rents—What Do They Have in Common?

Avian flu gave companies cover to price gouge. Could the attention to lack of housing supply do the same for landlords?
View of St. Louis from afar, with the arch at far right.

The Real Reason Why Babies at a St. Louis Public Housing Complex Weren’t Sleeping...

When a St. Louis-based group convened public housing residents to talk about infant mortality, they discovered a serious housing issue that affected tenants’ health. To the organization’s credit, they didn’t turn away from the problem.
Six people in winter coats and hats stand across the street from a construction site. At the center, a young man in a cloth cap stands at a podium gesturing as he speaks.

How Atlantic Yards Failed to Deliver Affordable Homeownership (With a Hakeem Jeffries Cameo)

Atlantic Yards demonstrates that developers' promises must be backed up in contracts, otherwise economic and political cycles can undermine them. 

Taking the ADU Model to the Next Level, a Shelterforce and Next City Webinar

How can we get more accessory dwelling units built, keep them affordable, and make them forces for increasing racial equity?
Interior view of the stained glass windows of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.

Black Congregations Are Developing Housing on Church Land

Many Black churches in the U.S. are developing housing on their property, and becoming stronger activists in the fight for affordable housing.
A pile of presents wrapped in red and green paper with bows, beneath a Christmas tree.

Instead of Toys, These Organizers Want You to Give Rent Money

Rent for Moms is a fundraising campaign looking to help 50 single Black moms in select cities retain or obtain housing by Christmas. Under the tagline, “because everyone deserves to be home for the...

After the Fire: Bronx Residents Return to Building that Burned

A deadly fire in an affordable housing complex in the Bronx was said to have been caused by a space heater. But a pattern of negligence created the conditions for the tragedy, and made the fire more deadly.

The Racists Next Door: Black Homebuyers Face Discrimination After Purchasing, Too

The danger of unwelcoming neighbors should not be underestimated.

Going Home: LGBTQ Renters Find Housing on Facebook

Niche groups on Facebook help the LGBTQ community find affordable housing with folks who share their values.
YIMBY Action members chant over activists of color during an counter protest in California.

Have the YIMBYs Evolved?

Yes in My Back Yard activists started with a simple—and some would say simplistic—argument: to solve the nation’s housing crisis we just need to build more housing, of any type and in as many places as possible. But as the movement nears a decade of existence, some of its members argue that their message has become more nuanced.

Rent Going Up? One Company’s Algorithm Could Be Why.

Texas-based RealPage’s YieldStar software helps landlords set prices for apartments across the U.S. With rents soaring, critics are concerned that the company’s proprietary algorithm is hurting competition.
A ribbon-cutting for two newly renovated rowhomes on Westmont Street in North Philadelphia. Pictured is a family cutting a ribbon. They are surrounding by lots of people in masks.

New Philly Land Trust Was Promised Dozens of Homes; How’s It Going?

Two years ago, Philadelphia officials agreed to give 59 vacant buildings to homeless advocates. The historic deal has faced several setbacks, but is still moving forward.