Shelterforce

The decision to demolish Wellston's public housing had already been made when residents and the mayor decided to fight for it, but persistence, luck, and a financing structure with some unusual twists brought them back from the brink. Amy De La Hunt reports for Shelterforce. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/01/18/a-fifth-of-this-towns-homes-were-saved-from-demolition-and-kept-a...

In our latest “Meet Me at the Intersection of Housing” series, Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, talks with Shelterforce's Schlonn Hawkins about the dangers and promise of AI, powerful tools driving the fight for housing justice, and a little bit about herself. Watch the series at https://shelterforce.org/2024/01/12/meet-me-at-the-intersection-of-housing-with-gues...

There's a lot of momentum toward resident-controlled housing. Do you know the three major forms it takes? Miriam Axel-Lute breaks down cooperatives, community land trusts, and mutual housing associations. Read and download the explainer here: https://shelterforce.org/2024/01/04/q-what-are-the-three-major-types-of-community-or-resident-controlled-housing-and-how-do-they-work/

Three years after Brandon Duong first reported on aggregators, aggressive investors are still suing LIHTC general partners to profit off what should be affordable housing. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/11/30/lihtc-right-of-first-refusal-is-still-under-attack/ And the original story here: https://shelterforce.org/2020/10/16/refusing-the-right-to-refuse/

Adding more credits and making tweaks do not actually address some of the major weaknesses of the program. We should be bolder, says Alan Mallach in this opinion piece. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/12/21/how-to-really-reform-the-low-income-housing-tax-credit-program/

In 2018, the Family Self-Sufficiency Program was expanded to privately owned properties receiving project-based rental assistance. Reid Cramer takes a look at how early adopters have used the program to support residents, and lessons they learned along the way. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/12/08/the-fss-program-was-expanded-beyond-public-housing-authorities-heres-how-its-go...

Tenant organizing has the power to transcend culture wars and break down the artificial barriers that have been placed between us, says Josh Poe, an organizer with the Louisville Tenants Union. "I don’t believe that the GOP is winning in Kentucky because people where I’m from hate Black people or LGBTQ people. They’re winning because one side is organizing and the other side is not. One side is cl...

Because so many old buildings are hard to fully retrofit, new homes need to fill in the gap. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute reads her latest piece, "All New Homes Should Be Accessible." Read the full piece at https://shelterforce.org/2023/12/12/all-new-homes-should-be-accessible/

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. Robin Dondiego reads, "Can Residents Get More Out of Tax Credit Housing?" This article appeared in Shelterforce's Under the Lens se...

Even those who praise the tax credit program and what it has accomplished are concerned that there are so few sizeable alternatives to it. Miriam Axel-Lute reads "The Only Tool in the Box: What It Means That LIHTC Dominates Affordable Housing." Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/12/08/the-only-tool-in-the-box-what-it-means-that-lihtc-dominates-affordable-housing/

Last year, we reported on tenants in Northern Virginia LIHTC properties whose rents were raised in the middle of their leases. In "How Tenant Activists Won Protections Against Mid-Lease Rent Hikes," Brandon Duong explains how other states have banned the practice. Read the full story here:https://shelterforce.org/2023/11/30/how-tenant-activists-won-protections-against-mid-lease-rent-hikes-in-affor...

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is famously complex. We can't exactly make it simple, but we've broken down the basics, which would be especially helpful to residents who live in LIHTC properties. Robin Dondiego reads, "LIHTC for Regular People." This FAQ is part of the Shelterforce series "LIHTC: The Good, the Bad, the Very Complicated." Read the full FAQ here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/11/...

There’s broad agreement that LIHTC is key to increasing the affordable housing supply and has been successful. But everyone also agrees there is room for improvement. Sandra Larson reads her latest Shelterforce story, "How to Reform the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program." Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/11/21/how-to-reform-the-low-income-housing-tax-credit-program/ This ar...

LIHTC developers must follow strict affordability rules—and fulfill other promises—for at least 30 years. While industry insiders insist compliance rates are high, tenant advocates say noncompliance is a real problem. Shelby R. King reads, "How Are LIHTC Rules Enforced—And How Well?" Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/11/15/how-are-lihtc-rules-enforced-and-how-well/ This story is...

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit was created in a moment when other real estate tax preferences were going away—but at the time, no one expected it to grow into the main source of affordable housing finance in the country. Miriam Axel-Lute reads, "LIHTC: How It Started, How It’s Going." Read the full article at https://shelterforce.org/2023/11/15/lihtc-how-it-started-how-its-going/ This article i...

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in June that overrode dozens of local tenant protection laws won there in recent years. How are housing organizers in Florida fighting back? And what can other organizers do if they live in a state that is hostile to tenant protections? Natasha Ishak reads, "Tenant Protections Undone: How Florida Organizers Are Moving Forward," in Shelterforce. Read the story at htt...

Underinvested communities are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting and deploying funding. The Center for Community Investment is helping to change that. Laurie Mazur reads, "Preparing Underinvested Communities for New Funding." Read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/10/06/preparing-underinvested-communities-for-new-funding/

For Shelterforce, Katya Schwenk reports on a SCOTUS ruling that may end up benefiting speculators and hurting land banks. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/10/19/supreme-court-decision-good-for-homeowners-bad-for-land-banks/

Researchers found that older homeowners in St. Louis averaged $13,000 in unmet home repairs. How can advocates measure home repair need in their own cities? And how much of a difference can home repairs make? Shelterforce's Lara Heard reads, "Why Housing Policy Should Include More Funding For Home Repairs," written by By Todd Swanstrom and John N. Robinson III. Read the article at https://shelterf...

Laws meant to restrict professors from discussing how race has shaped public policy could target the factual discussion of housing policy and its history—but professors say they don’t intend to go along. Aaron Fernando reads, "Will ‘Critical Race Theory’ Attacks Undermine Urban Planning Education?" Read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/08/16/will-critical-race-theory-attacks-undermine-ur...

Laying the groundwork for transportation equity can start with listening to disabled people’s experiences of infrastructure for non-drivers. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/07/13/the-road-to-equity-in-transportation-problems-and-potential-solutions/

With homelessness on the rise, the U.S. shelter system is ill-equipped to accommodate disabled occupants. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/07/19/why-arent-homeless-shelters-accommodating-people-who-have-disabilities/

Not everyone with intellectual and developmental disabilities needs to live in a highly structured group home. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2023/07/25/developing-housing-that-welcomes-people-with-developmental-disabilities/

Asset caps on Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, and other benefits keep people with disabilities from building up emergency savings and financial security—or buying a home. Lara Heard reads her latest Shelterforce story, "Poor by Design: SSI Asset Caps." Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/08/02/poor-by-design-ssi-asset-caps/

The Missoula City-County Health Department is working to expand health equity through a full-time government position, five years after a health initiative brought new sidewalks to low-income neighborhoods. Shelterforce's Lara Heard reports on "Where Missoula Built Sidewalks, A Health Equity Focus Followed." Read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2023/07/18/where-missoula-built-sidewalks-a-hea...