On Housing, Democrats Sure Look Like Republicans
At one time, the Democratic Party stood for policies that successfully addressed the country’s chronic housing crisis. What changed, and why?
Realtors Reckon with Race
A new generation of real estate agents are aiming for meaningful change in an industry most famous for championing and enforcing segregation.
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?
Three Ways to Immediately Increase Transparency in the Housing Market
Transparency in housing transactions and in subsidized housing practices is a simple and powerful means of producing and sustaining movements for policy change.
Universal Housing Vouchers: A Promise or a Pipe Dream?
President Biden promised to expand the Housing Choice Voucher program so that everyone who qualifies for a voucher gets one. What exactly would that change entail, and how long could it be before we see it happen?
How State and Local Governments Can Avoid Mass Evictions
Beyond the immediate need to stop mass evictions, there is much more that state and local officials can do to facilitate housing stability in a longer-term transition out of the pandemic emergency. The time for those critical measures is now.
Anti-Eviction Advocates Want the DOJ to Support the Right to Counsel Movement
The revival of an office within the Department of Justice that is focused on equitable legal representation has tenants’ rights advocates calling on the federal government to do more to strengthen the right to counsel movement.
Is an Infrastructure Investment in Housing on Its Way?
The affordable housing industry considers the prospect of unprecedented funding if Biden’s housing as infrastructure plans make it through Congress.
Moratorium Extended: Millions at Risk of Eviction, Billions in Rental Assistance Undelivered
The CDC issued a new eviction moratorium through Oct. 3. Will it be enough time for states to distribute unpaid rental assistance? And how did the 2020 eviction predictions pan out?
Right to Counsel Movement Gains Traction
New York City became the first in the nation to give low-income tenants free legal representation. Now, several other counties and cities have either passed similar legislation or have drafted bills in the pipeline.
Housing Solutions—Centering Community in Ownership, Control, and Long-Term Affordability
How is community control of housing realized? We explore different community ownership structures, how tenants form a cooperative, and how larger housing nonprofits can incorporate residents into decision-making.
How to Get Racial Equity into Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
Congress has an opportunity it must not squander to acknowledge the racial inequity built into our failing infrastructure and put into operation the promise of equity in Biden’s infrastructure plans.
Tenant Advocates Win as Security Deposit Bill Is Vetoed in Baltimore
Baltimore's mayor vetoed a “Renter’s Choice” law after housing advocates warned of the predatory potential of selling deposit alternatives to struggling tenants.
To Fight Family Homelessness, HUD Must Count It Correctly
What should we be doing now to address the increasing number of children who are expected to suffer pandemic-related homelessness?
Don’t Go Back to Old Economic Development Ways
Cities have led the way in enacting equity-focused pandemic policies. It’s time to build on that momentum, starting with neighborhoods.
A Movement-Based Federal Housing Agenda
What are the New Deal for Housing Justice and the BREATHE Act and how do they move beyond previous housing agendas?
From PETRA to RAD—The Path to Converting 140,000 Public Housing Units
More than $10 billion in private financing has been invested in public housing thanks to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. But housing advocates say it comes at a cost, and there still isn’t enough oversight of the program.
HUD Has Money for Tenant Organizing. Why Isn’t the Agency Spending It?
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development can provide $10 million to tenant organizers each year, but the funding has largely gone unspent since the early 2000s. Will that change with a new administration and newly approved HUD secretary?
Now and Then: Rent Control, Rental Assistance, and Universal Vouchers
In the second installment of updates to Shelterforce articles of old, we check in on how well some of the recommendations, predictions, and worries about rent control, rental assistance, and universal vouchers have aged.
Fair Housing and Zoning: Toward a New Boston?
How Boston became the first city to add fair housing to its zoning regulations.