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We Really Need to Talk About Substandard Housing in Alabama’s Black Belt

When this researcher moved back to her home state to direct a research institute, she thought she knew rural Alabama and its needs. But she was wrong. "I found myself unprepared for the extent of the rural housing crisis here."

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Eleven people, seven standing in back, four crouching in front, pose with clipboards. Several are wearing red T-shirts that say Louisville Tenants Union with an image of two hands fist-bumping. Several of the people are wearing masks; the ones who aren't are smiling.
Opinion

Tenants Unions Are How We Win in the South

Tenant organizing has the power to transcend culture wars and break down the artificial barriers that have been placed between us.

A woman in a motorized wheelchair travels along a rural road with no sidewalks, as a bus approaches close to her from the opposite direction. Standing on the coarse gravel shoulder of the road is a man with a dog.
Opinion

The Road to Transportation Equity: Listening to Non-Drivers

Laying the groundwork for transportation equity can start with listening to disabled people’s experiences of infrastructure for non-drivers.

A close nighttime view of the front of a squad car, with red and blue lights glowing on the roof, and red and blue lights in the grille. The headlights are also on. The windshield appears black and no people are visible in the car.
Opinion

Sweeps Aren’t Outreach—Policing Homelessness Still Doesn’t Work

A new study shines light on the connection between homeless outreach teams and policing, and examines why so many cities are still using resident complaints to guide their response to the homelessness crisis.

Against a blue sky, a view from street level of part of an imposing seven-story building in red and tan brick with red-brick towers at intervals.
Opinion

Social Housing: How a New Generation of Activists Is Reinventing Housing

Not so long ago, social housing was rarely discussed in the U.S. Today. there are over a dozen social housing campaigns across the country.

Opinion

We Must Strengthen the Labor-Housing Coalition

It’s time to forge a new coalition of labor unions and housing justice activists at the national, state, and local levels.

A broadly smiling woman with dark skin and braids, wearing a black shirt with a green-leaf logo on it, stands in front of a medium-blue wall. A business name, The Olive Street Agency, with the green-leaf logo, is printed (or affixed) to the wall in white capital letters.
Opinion

CDFIs Shouldn’t Act Like Banks, But Too Often Do

When receiving bank funding, CDFIs often limit their investments in accordance with bank restrictions. How can reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act help center the needs of underserved communities?

A park bench by a cracked sidewalk. There's graffiti on the bench seat, and the back is printed with "Baltimore/The Greatest City in America." Behind the bench is a brick wall with a gray metal vent at the left.
Opinion

The Dirty Little Secret—Rising Property Values Are Incompatible with Affordability

Rising property values come with positive community development, but this shift can make neighborhoods inaccessible to low-income renters and fixed-income homeowners.

The Virginia State Capital seen frmo the bottom of the steps leading up to it, on a sunny day.
Opinion

Should Virginia Build Housing for Public Servants on Public Land?

Amid widespread rent increases, directing public land to affordable housing could allow people to stay in their communities, as well as reduce commutes and employee turnover.

Aerial view of brick three-story buildings in Philadelphia, in golden light, with a church tower in the distance. At top right, part of a big rainbow is visible
Opinion

Appraisal Bias Is the Fair Housing Issue of the Day

Newly released data on home appraisal practices is a step forward in the fight against racially biased appraisals. There’s still a long way to go.

Aerial view of a suburb with hundreds of houses built close together on curving streets and no sign of green anywhere
Opinion

Is the Solution to Homelessness Obvious?

Some say yes. But simply making it easier to build will not reach those who are unhoused.

Three children eating spaghetti at a kitchen table. One, wearing a striped shirt, is dangling a strand of spaghetti in the air and eating it from the end. The child on the right has a very messy face, and at left, a child in a high-chair is holding a spoon or fork.
Opinion

Proposed AFFH Rule Doesn’t Address Renters Directly—But It Should

Renters’ rights are fair housing rights. Before publishing a final Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, HUD must specifically address the needs of renters. Here’s how.

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Opinion

Federal and State Dollars Could Be Used to Force Change in Exclusionary Towns

Strict zoning policies keep housing unaffordable. But there are strategies governments can implement to change exclusionary housing policies and promote the construction of more affordable housing.