Tag: california

New federal guidance enables states to use Medicaid dollars to support housing needs.

HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.

Getting solid legal protections in place will help tenants stick up for themselves more safely and effectively.

Landmark lawsuits in D.C., New York, and California make source of income discrimination risky for landlords. 

Never underestimate the power of—and need for—a ground game.

Reaction to the housing crisis in California has led to a series of gains for tenants, including a new Renters’ Caucus.

Shelterforce’s investigative reporter Shelby R. King wrote two pieces about YIMBY (Yes in My Back Yard) groups in 2022, including one that focused on...

Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective city borders. Varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.

How can we get more accessory dwelling units built, keep them affordable, and make them forces for increasing racial equity?

Policymakers and building designers have gone from pushing for energy efficiency to focusing on reducing carbon emissions by using more electrical-based systems. What are some of the benefits and challenges of going all-electric, and how can affordable housers move forward?

A culture war between housing justice advocates and YIMBYs began in 2014. While the groups have different priorities, they do have shared interests. Can they be allies or will the habitual quarreling keep them at odds?

Some leases plainly contradict state law or include questionable, punitive, or egregiously anti-tenant clauses.

Shelterforce recently hosted a conversation about how to fight, and win, against corporate landlords and their extractive business models. Watch the video or read the transcript.

After a lull in the 1990s, the tenants rights movement reemerged and has only gained strength. What caused the resurgence and what do tenants’ prospects look like?

Tenant advocates have long been pushing for a “tenants bill of rights” to codify rules that protect renters from landlords. Here’s a rundown of the top protections housing justice activists say need to be included.

Tenants are organizing together with increased urgency to get legal protections passed in their towns, cities, and states. What are the top protections tenants are fighting for?

Yes in My Back Yard activists started with a simple—and some would say simplistic—argument: to solve the nation’s housing crisis we just need to build more housing, of any type and in as many places as possible. But as the movement nears a decade of existence, some of its members argue that their message has become more nuanced.

Buying your mobile home park could save you money: Residents fare better when they cooperatively own their parks.

Over the past couple of years, community development corporations have been popping up in sometimes-unexpected places across the country. Will this increased interest in CDCs last, or is it a trend that will end when the money runs out?

From the macro scale to the micro scale, there are many ways in which the housing market playing field is tilted toward financial firms—and many ways being proposed to start to tilt it back.