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Policy
The rules of the game—and the attitudes of the players—have an enormous effect on community development work at all levels. Here we look at some of the conversations about how to shift that policy for the better.
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D.C. Had the Country’s First TOPA Law. Could Real Estate Developers Gut It?
Developers are pushing for two exemptions to the landmark tenant rights legislation—affordable housing properties and buildings that are 25 years old or newer.
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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.
Could This Supreme Court Ruling Affect Fair Housing?
Experts on housing law discuss the potential repercussions of a recent Supreme Court decision that struck down the EPA’s authority in limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Could conservative judges apply the same rationale to limit HUD’s authority?
How the Federal Reserve’s Monetary Policy Drives Housing Inequality
If high home prices and rents are hallmarks of inequality, the actions of the Federal Reserve should give us pause. Its policy interventions have had profound effects on housing prices.
Unfair Market Rents: How Inflation Is Skewing FMRs
“Fair market rents” are set by HUD and used to determine how much federal assistance programs will pay toward rent. But with rental costs rising so rapidly, they aren’t keeping up.
Proposed CRA Rule Receives Mixed Reviews from Housers
Public comment is open through Aug. 5 on proposed Community Reinvestment Act rule changes. They are worlds better than the Trump-era proposal. Why are some advocates still disappointed?
Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan
President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.
COVID Relief Funds Filling Some Housing Budget Gaps
As COVID relief funds have flowed out across the country, state and local governments have so far allotted at least $13.8 billion of their discretionary dollars to housing efforts.