Practitioner Voice

Shelterforce has always been driven by the voices of the people in the housing field. Practitioner voice pieces are neither reported journalism nor standard opinion pieces, but articles that share knowledge, insight, or examples from people who work or research in the field.

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A row of about 10 people with other people behind them, most in blue T-shirts and holding up hand-drawn posters saying "Keep Dallas Affordable," "Affordable Housing 4 Veterans," "Todos Mereden Vivienda," and a few others with messages not readable at camera distance.

How a Dallas Housing Coalition Won Bonds for Affordable Housing

Dallas's bonds aren't usually used for housing. A new coalition of advocates changed that.

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Parking-lot view of an apartment building in the "5 over 1" style, with a gray exterior at the bottom, the third- and fourth-floor exteriors in bright red, and a lighter gray top level, for a horizontal stripe effect. An end unit is all white, and the row of windows is broken by one projecting all-glass section. To the right of the building is a terrace area with umbrellas and a gathering of people.
Opinion

Nonprofit Housing Developers Deserve Better LIHTC Terms

When it comes to LIHTC deals, nonprofit developers don’t get the same advantages big, for-profit developers do. A new fund is setting out to change that.

Seven people in red T-shirts bearing a logo for CDAD are smiling as they stand in a row on the grass at an outdoor event. They're either dancing or listening to music. Behind them are lots of other people talking, playing, making music. In the background is a large white pavilion tent and off to the left, trees in leaf.
Practitioner Voice

Lessons from Detroit: Joining Forces with Resident-Led Groups

It’s been 14 years since the Community Development Advocates of Detroit opened its membership to resident-led groups. Here’s a look at what they’ve learned about working together and navigating the transition.

Partial view of two houses, semi-attached. The one on the left has been updated and renovated and looks shiny and new. The one on the right is dilapidated, with broken orange roof tiles, grimy and boarded-up windows, and climbing plants taking over the walls.
Opinion

In the Rush to Build, Existing Affordable Housing Is Falling Apart

With attention—and funding—focused on new housing supply over preservation and operations, even mission-driven nonprofit affordable housing managers are struggling to maintain decent conditions in older affordable housing.

A pyramid-shaped building, mostly white but blue at the top. In front of it is a tall sign that reads "Memphis" in capital letters, with a guitar standing in for the letter I. In front of that is a trestle of brownish metal, and crossing the view diagonally are five parallel power lines.
Practitioner Voice

What Do Residents Think of Community Development Organizations?

Research explores residents’ experiences with and observations about community development organizations in four cities.

A crowd of protesters gather in front of the U.S. supreme court. One woman is speaking. They are holding signs that say "housing solves homelessness" and "housing not handcuffs."
Practitioner Voice

What the Grants Pass Case Means—For All of Us

In an era of runaway housing costs, the Supreme Court is going to decide whether it’s illegal to not be able to afford them.

aerial photo of a group of small, colorful homes
Practitioner Voice

Why Combining Community Land Trusts and Limited-Equity Cooperatives Benefits Residents

A church with a shrinking congregation sold its land to SquareOne Villages to develop the Peace Village Co-op, a 70-unit housing development that’s both a community land trust and limited-equity co-op. How does combining these shared-equity homeownership models work?

Nineteen people stand in a semi-circle facing the camera, on a partly paved road near some mobile homes and parked cars. They are mixed in age, gender, and skin color, and most have one arm raised high, making a fist; one person is raising both arms with thumbs up, and one person has not raised her arms.
Practitioner Voice

Let’s Harness the Growth of the Shared-Equity Field

Between 2011 and 2022, the number of nonprofits with shared-equity programs and CLTs increased by 30 percent. Here’s a look at the diversity of their programs and portfolios, and who’s benefiting from their rise.

A woman with long dark hair sits on a sofa; she is visible from the waist up. Her elbows rest on her knees and her hands cover her face, expressing dejection with body language. She is wearing a long-sleeve tan top and the sofa is about the same color. Behind her are pale drapes partially covering a bright window.
Practitioner Voice

Low-Income Residents of Inclusionary Housing Report Facing More Bias

A survey of Cambridge, Massachusetts, residents found that residents of affordable units in inclusionary housing properties reported frequently experiencing bias, especially from management. Here’s how we can change that.

View from the street of a bank built in 1917. From the photographer: The building features a red brick exterior with terra cotta trim, decorative panels with Sullivanesque detailing, Sullivanesque trim, a decorative mosaic in the tympanum below the arch above the front entrance with the word “Thrift” in gold lettering in the middle of an expanse of blue tile and decorative white, cream, green, purple, red, and orange tile accents, decorative metal lettering on the facade above the arch displaying the words “The People’s Federal Savings & Loan Assn." ... Gargoyles above the pilasters framing the front entrance, fixed glass windows at the corners, brass double doors.
Practitioner Voice

How the New CRA Rule Will Help, and Where It Falls Short

The assessments that evaluate a bank’s lending practices have improved, but there are several missed opportunities for reform. For one, the new rules won’t incorporate a racial analysis into lending examinations.

A large graffiti'd mural, painted in a cartoonish style, showing an apparently homeless family of three standing near a traffic light. The mother is handing a box or carton of stuff to the child, whose other hand is reaching to the father figure. He is holding up a sign that says "Help us." Facial features were not drawn on these figures, giving them a universal quality.
Opinion

What’s Driving Homelessness? It’s Not Immigration and It’s Not Opioids.

Homelessness rose by 12 percent between 2022 and 2023. Blaming drug use and immigration for the increase distracts us from the real causes.

An aerial view of a large, four-story, U-shaped housing development, still being built, and surrounded by settled neighborhoods on the three sides that are visible. The roof is white and the various sections of the exterior walls are blue, tan, brick, or white. The ground around the structure is still raw dirt, with several trucks and machines in view.
Opinion

Can Residents Get More Out of Tax Credit Housing?

Arrangements in which LIHTC tenants share in the development’s financial benefits, or become partial or full owners, are rare—but some properties have pulled them off. This scan of several examples shows the possibilities—and the conditions needed for them to succeed.

On a lawn in front of a brick building with large glass panels that look as if they might have been garage bays at one point, stands a welcome sign made of mosaic tile. The underlying structure is invisible but may be concrete and forms a boxy semi-circle with a peak. The mosaic tiles are small and spell out "Welcome to Binghampton" in varied colors on a background of tiny black tiles. There are two stars over the letters B and I, and near the bottom is a band of freeform mosaics depicting faces. They're very small and hard to discern individually.
Practitioner Voice

Memphis Is Shrinking. Here’s Why We Need to Change That

Memphis is struggling with a dwindling population, driven in part by a high crime rate and disinvestment in low-income areas of the city. What are local organizations doing to turn this around?