Under the Lens
Shelter in a Federal Storm: State and Local Housing Solutions for a Time of Federal Hostility
While chaos reigns at the federal level, it’s up to states and local governments to creatively hold the line, fill the gaps, and figure out new ways forward. Drawing on examples from around the country, this series explores some of the many things they could do—and are already doing. Not sure where to start? Check out our series guide.
Acting Locally: States, Counties, and Cities on the Front Lines
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Free Land, Retail Rents, and Other Ways Cities Are Cutting Reliance on Federal Housing Funds
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.
Property Taxes Aren’t the Cause of Our Housing Crisis, They’re a Solution to It
Taxing land and buildings at different rates can discourage land speculation and encourage housing development.
How We Rewrote a Tax Incentive to Encourage More Affordable Housing
Chattanooga, Tennessee, aligned its housing tax incentive with the actual cost of charging more affordable rents. Developers are participating.
How Public Banks Can Meet Public Needs
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.
Are Dedicated ‘Sin Taxes’ a Useful Path for Affordable Housing Funding?
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.
Making Money for Housing Go Further
Housing funding programs are notoriously fragmented. One way to make limited housing dollars go further is to improve the systems that distribute them.
How States Can Build Housing Together: A Proposal to Create Joint Authorities
Housing markets don’t stay within state boundaries. Why should housing finance agencies?
States Can Put the Brakes on Landlord Collusion and Junk Fees
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.
Avoiding Evictions: How State and Local Policy Can Keep Tenants in Their Homes
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.
When the Feds Step Back on Fair Housing, Can States Step Up?
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.
Rent Strikes, Targeting Tax Breaks, and Data: Tenant Organizing Beyond Legislative Campaigns
In a time of both federal and state legislature intransigence, tenant organizing strategies that emphasize building-level organizing and other creative approaches are gaining ground.
State and Cities Advance Affordability by Lowering Utility Costs
Climate funding from the federal government has become unreliable. But state and local programs in the Northeast offer alternative ways to make homes more efficient for low-income residents and reduce their utility bills.
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