Under the Lens

Whatever Happened To ...

To know where we’re going, we need to know where we’ve been. We need to take a look back at how promising or ambitious initiatives panned out, whether trends that seemed to be going strong stayed on course, and how thorny challenges were resolved. In our first official Under the Lens series, we revisit some of our past coverage to ask “Whatever happened to that?”

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A city scene in Newark New Jersey.
Whatever Happened to ...

Looking Back: Democratic Philanthropy, Newark on the Rise, the Surplus Land Campaign, and More

In this first installment of updates to Shelterforce articles of old, we find that market dynamics are different in many places we’ve written about, but many of the organizations fighting the good fight are continuing to do so, even in changed times.

Whatever Happened to ...

Despite a Rocky Start, Cleveland Model for Worker Co-ops Stands Test of Time

Even during tough times, the Evergreen Cooperative Initiative has added new co-ops, new workers, and new strategies.

Whatever Happened to ...

Did the Comprehensive Community Initiatives of the 1990s, early 2000s Bring About Change?

Once a must-have for foundations, Comprehensive Community Initiatives found mixed success.

Close-up of the back of a t-shirt that says "Because the rent won't wait."
Whatever Happened to ...

Now and Then: Rent Control, Rental Assistance, and Universal Vouchers

In the second installment of updates to Shelterforce articles of old, we check in on how well some of the recommendations, predictions, and worries about rent control, rental assistance, and universal vouchers have aged.

dilapidated home's front entrance
Whatever Happened to ...

The Work Continues: Property Maintenance Lawsuits Move Forward, Foster Care Vouchers Pass, and More

In the third installment of Shelterforce articles of old, we look back at what’s been happening with lawsuits against banks that allegedly failed to maintain properties they own in predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods, Medicaid money for housing, community developers elected to office, and vouchers for foster care youth.

Whatever Happened to ...

The Dark Side of Community Preference Policies

Community preference policies give existing residents first dibs on subsidized housing built in their neighborhoods. But what happens when these policies are applied to communities that are exclusive, well-off, and majority white?

Whatever Happened to ...

From PETRA to RAD—The Path to Converting 140,000 Public Housing Units

More than $10 billion in private financing has been invested in public housing thanks to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. But housing advocates say it comes at a cost, and there still isn’t enough oversight of the program.

Atlanta's BeltLine bike path bordered by new homes.
Whatever Happened to ...

Affordable BeltLine Project Still in Progress in Atlanta

It was a decade ago when the Atlanta BeltLine partnership set a goal of creating almost 6,000 units of affordable housing, as well as a collaborative of land trusts. What’s happened since? Did the partnership achieve its intended goals?

Whatever Happened to ...

CLTs Still Going Commercial—Nonprofit Offices, Hairdressers, and a Sausage Factory

Community land trusts, better known for permanently affordable housing, expand into commercial spaces for a wide range of reasons, and in a wide range of ways.

Whatever Happened to ...

Burdensome Documentation Requirements Keep NOLA Homeowners from Getting Home

The Road Home program was supposed to help thousands of families rebuild their homes after Hurricane Katrina. Instead, $33 million was left undistributed, and now the Louisiana Office of Community Development is suing homeowners who couldn’t rebuild.

North Minneapolis tenants pose together with their fists in the air during a barbecue
Whatever Happened to ...

Looking Back: Good Outcomes for Affordable Housing on Transit Land, Tenants Facing Eviction, and More

In our next installment, we take a look at some positive outcomes—what happened with affordable housing on transit-owned land, cooperative agency work in Massachusetts that helped at-risk people, and the Minneapolis tenants who were facing eviction after court wins against their landlord.

Whatever Happened to ...

Paying Hospitals to Build Housing—New Jersey Program Expands

More affordable housing projects approved, new funding for scattered-site improvements for substandard housing, and talks about replicating the program beyond the Garden State.

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