State & Local Policy

A two-year rent freeze, affecting about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments in New York, was just approved. Before the freeze passed, landlords said their buildings wouldn’t survive it. But recent analyses suggest the real culprit behind distressed buildings is predatory equity, not rent stabilization.

In recent years, housing coalitions promoting community land trusts and real estate cooperatives have formed in multiple cities and states—and they are achieving results. Nonetheless, a lot of work is needed to achieve the policy changes these groups desire.

As the World Cup arrives in 11 American cities, Airbnb is spending millions lobbying to loosen short-term rental regulations. Here’s how cities are responding.

In Massachusetts, the collection of more than 124,000 signatures makes it likely that a statewide rent control measure will be on the ballot in November.

In states across the South, coalitions that include housing justice advocates, tenant leaders, and legal service providers are coming together to oppose anti-tenant policies and advance tenant rights.

By funding nursing homes but not assisted living, Medicaid often steers older adults into costlier and more restrictive care than they need. Lawmakers can fix that.

Housing advocates in Eugene, Oregon, are seeking to create a legislative framework that would allow tenants to collectively acquire multifamily buildings when a building comes up for sale.

Start here to navigate our series on state and local strategies that are being deployed at a time when federal action is largely blocked.

Two years after a major Supreme Court case, bills to criminalize homelessness and ban encampments have popped up widely. But here are some places that are fighting back.

Laws designed to ease regulations that limit housing diversity and supply are passing in states around the country. Affordable housing advocates in four states talked with us about the coalitions that have come together, and how they might fit within the larger advocacy framework.

It’s not new for states and localities to have their own fair housing and community reinvestment measures—but as the federal government backs away from enforcement, their versions may become more important.

At a time when support for housing homeless people is under attack, preventing unnecessary evictions—which are costly as well as cruel—is more important than ever for local governments. Here are some of the approaches being tried.