Three Ways AFFH Has Advanced Housing Justice
Grassroots organizers have used the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule to strengthen communities in the past. These examples show what we should advocate for in a new AFFH rule.
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.
AFFH’s Bumpy Road to Overcoming Segregation
The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule was intended to force communities to take action to address housing segregation and discrimination. How has the rule evolved throughout the years, and will a proposed new rule finally put some teeth into the legal concept?
AFFH: Third Time’s the Charm?
What’s the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provision? How has it been enforced in the past? And what do fair housing advocates think of the proposed changes? Shelterforce’s new Under the Lens series—New AFFH Rules: What You Need to Know—explores that and more.
Reforming Zoning in a Racist Market Still Worth It
In a racist society, markets cause racist housing outcomes, but nonetheless the influence of land use regulation shouldn't be ignored.
How the Inflation Reduction Act Can Protect Low-income Renters From Climate Change
Climate change is an especially large threat to low-income residents. The Inflation Reduction Act offers a chance to act.
Biden’s Renters Rights Blueprint: Meaningful or Not?
What should we make of the administration’s tenants rights announcement?
Bordering Towns in LA County Clash Over Their Homeless Policies
Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective city borders. Varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.
Major Changes Coming for CDFIs
Requirements to be certified as a community development financial institution (CDFI) will soon change—and some lenders that qualified before might no longer.
Tenant Advocates Wait for Action After Meeting with White House Officials
Tenants got to talk directly to the Biden administration about the need to rein in soaring rents. Will action follow?
The Shift to Using More Electricity Will Change How Affordable Housing Is Built
Policymakers and building designers have gone from pushing for energy efficiency to focusing on reducing carbon emissions by using more electrical-based systems. What are some of the benefits and challenges of going all-electric, and how can affordable housers move forward?
Boston Organizers Protect Individual Tenants, While Trying to Change the System
City Life/Vida Urbana is known for successful tenant union organizing and anti-eviction actions, but every individual action springs from a larger vision of system and policy change.
Is Everything in Your Lease Legal? Quite Possibly Not
Some leases plainly contradict state law or include questionable, punitive, or egregiously anti-tenant clauses.
Tenant Protections 101
Tenant advocates have long been pushing for a “tenants bill of rights” to codify rules that protect renters from landlords. Here’s a rundown of the top protections housing justice activists say need to be included.
Top 6 Tenant Protections Renters Are Fighting For
Tenants are organizing together with increased urgency to get legal protections passed in their towns, cities, and states. What are the top protections tenants are fighting for?
Homeowners Seeking Foreclosure Assistance Face Delays and Confusion in Many States
While a lot of attention has been paid to emergency rental assistance, foreclosure relief funds are also being distributed at the state level—and are also having mixed results getting to those who need them.
Income Averaging Allowed LIHTC Housing to Reach More People—Will It Last?
A Trump-era policy that actually helped poor people could be dismantled by the IRS.
Biden Has Power to Impose Rent Control, Say Housing Advocates
There’s legal precedent for the administration to limit rent hikes at least on all buildings with federally backed loans.
How to Retrofit the Housing Economy
Are policy changes enough to address the housing problems we face?
Hands Off the Houses: Can We Stop Speculative Land Grabs?
From the macro scale to the micro scale, there are many ways in which the housing market playing field is tilted toward financial firms—and many ways being proposed to start to tilt it back.
