State & Local Policy

States can pursue legal remedies under anti-trust laws when landlords collude to raise rents or use deceptive practices to institute extra fees, even if the federal government backs away from these cases.

Housing markets don’t stay within state boundaries. Why should housing finance agencies?

Housing funding programs are notoriously fragmented. One way to make limited housing dollars go further is to improve the systems that distribute them.

In the hunt for ways to fund affordable housing, taxes on controversial activities from gambling to short-term rentals are often appealing. Here’s how that’s been working in four communities.

As federal funding streams face cuts, the idea of public banks is gaining ground as a tool for states and localities to finance community development.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, aligned its housing tax incentive with the actual cost of charging more affordable rents. Developers are participating.

Taxing land and buildings at different rates can discourage land speculation and encourage housing development.

Though the federal role will always be necessary, local governments, and developers themselves, are looking for ways to develop affordable housing with less federal subsidy. Here are some of the approaches they are trying.

Even in challenging times, there are many actions that state and local governments can take to improve housing access and look out for their residents.

My experience with a utility shutoff led me to look more closely at who provides my city’s power. It turns out there’s a push for the city to buy out the investor-owned utility and create a public one.

Voters said yes to speeding up housing approvals. Now the city is putting that plan into action. While there’s excitement among affordable housing developers, some housing advocates worry the new process may quiet community voices.

What makes a home habitable? What makes habitability laws successful? In this webinar, an organizer in New Orleans and a representative from a nonprofit working with communities across the country affected by vacancy and abandonment share their perspectives.