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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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Advocates Say Money Motivates Think Tank’s Push to Criminalize Homelessness
A new report questions a billionaire-founded think tank's ties to law enforcement and surveillance—and its connections to the Trump administration.
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Buffaloonly Problems
I was a little premature in celebrating New York’s modest land bank bill, it seems, as it has not yet been signed by the governor. Some sources say he is […]
Abolish HUD?
When faced with a serious and persistent problem, it is often tempting to propose dramatic ideas, like blowing up existing programs and starting from scratch. Occasionally that might be useful, […]
Housing Bill: Look Past the “Bailout” Blather
Invisible amid all of the media talk of a congressional “bailout” for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a triumph for affordable housing advocates secured when the House Wednesday passed […]
The Thanks of a Grateful Nation
The Marine base that exerts an outsize gravitational pull on Twentynine Palms, Calif. is the largest in the world, and shimmers several miles outside of town in the desert at […]
Another Disaster
One of the stories that has been submerged in the Midwest flooding is the complete lack of an effective FEMA response, bad judgment, and limited capacity. A tragic example was […]
Watching the Numbers
When I was a kid, I loved watching presidential election returns. Every four years I’d get to rush home and sit in front of the TV and watch as the […]
Halting the Oil Slick’s Spread
It was bound to happen: Oil goes up to $140-plus a barrel and the president calls for offshore drilling and opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, aka ANWR. Technology […]
Think Globally, Act Regionally
Several other Rooflines bloggers have speculated about the impact of a new emphasis on metropolitan areas coming from the federal level. This past Friday, civic leaders from Cleveland and Youngstown, […]
HUD Sec’y Resigns, Questions Linger
HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson’s departure failed to dispel concerns about his conduct in office that led to multiple ethics investigations.
Obama Talks Up Metropolitanism
Metropolitanism, or regionalism, was back in the news this morning as Barack Obama trumpeted the concept at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. There’s nothing especially sexy […]
Sounding the Death Knell for Public Financing, Or a New Era of Grass-roots Fund-Raising?
Sen. Barack Obama’s decision to forgo public financing for the 2008 general election appears to be steeped more in pragmatism than it is in putting an end to public financing […]
Instead of Blaming FEMA, We Need a National Safety Net
As the water rose in his Cedar Rapids home, Frank refused to leave, even when a FEMA boat pulled up to his porch. FEMA wouldn’t take his two dogs, Romeo […]