Shelterforce

Rent stabilization typically limits the amount that rent can go up every year—but a newly appointed rent guidelines board in Kingston, N.Y., took it a step further. Listen to Luca GoldMansour's report, "Kingston Agreed the Rent Was Too Damn High—So It Lowered It." Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/10/11/kingston-agreed-the-rent-was-too-damn-high-so-it-lowered-it/

When Baltimore got funding for a round of school renovations, the state directed it to design schools that would also advance neighborhood revitalization—and it learned some lessons about why that's not always so simple. Ariel H. Bierbaum reads, "Rebuilding Together: How One Baltimore Program Advanced Both Education and Community Development," her latest piece in Shelterforce.

Climate change is fueling more frequent and extreme disasters, and insurance companies are responding by dropping communities and raising premiums. Caroline Nagy explains what an equitable, reformed property insurance model could look like. Read the entire piece at https://shelterforce.org/2024/10/25/how-can-we-reform-property-insurance-to-adapt-to-climate-change/

Shelterforce’s Miriam Axel-Lute moderated a discussion that delved into the root causes of the housing crisis and examined a range of potential solutions that go beyond merely adding supply. From policy reforms and zoning changes to establishing community land trusts, affordable housing development, and tenant protections, the conversation explored various approaches that can help address this urg...

College-focused rapid rehousing aims to support students facing housing instability all the way through graduation. Listen to, "How These Schools Worked With Community Groups to Fight College Homelessness," written by Jessica Wolin, Jennifer Wilking, and Molly Calhoun. This piece is read by John Ludas. Check out the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/11/27/how-these-schools-worked-with-co...

In the face of teacher shortages and out-of-reach housing prices, efforts to provide educators with affordable housing options are taking shape across the U.S. Shelterforce looks at some of the emerging models and how they’re working so far. Listen to, "Is Housing the Key to Attracting Teachers? These Folks Think So," written by Sandra Larson. This article is read by John Ludas. To read the full s...

The president-elect’s cabinet picks so far have been controversial, often alarming. What might that mean for housing? Shelby R. King reads her latest Shelterforce story, "Who Could Lead HUD Under a Second Trump Administration?" Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/11/22/who-could-lead-hud-under-a-second-trump-administration/

Many housing organizations are finding that educational programs are a logical—and valuable—addition to their offerings. Listen to, "Why Some Affordable Housing Managers Are Running Education Programs," written by Zoe Sullivan. Read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/11/21/why-some-affordable-housing-managers-are-running-education-programs/

Some community development organizations have added education to their traditional focus on housing and economic development. By partnering with local school districts, they’re looking for ways to support families and children in their neighborhoods. How’s it working? Listen to, "Expanding the Mission: The Community Groups Serving Schools," written by Padmini Raghunath. Read the story at https://s...

Americans are struggling more than ever to find and maintain housing they can afford. The climate crisis is only making things worse. Amongst various possible solutions, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a main contender, with $27 billion for communities to address climate change. It’s an unprecedented amount of money that’s expected to deliver climate assistance across the country to communiti...

Schools affect their neighborhoods—if community developers don’t harness that connection for equitable change, someone else will. Ryan Good reads, "To Make Schools Better for Everyone, Connect Them to Community Development," an op-ed he wrote for Shelterforce. Read the full op-ed at: https://shelterforce.org/2024/11/14/to-make-school-improvement-serve-all-residents-connect-it-to-community-developm...

The pandemic reminded us how education and housing affect each other. Now some advocates are fighting to make sure no one forgets it. Frances Nguyen reads, "Education and Housing Advocates: Better Together, But Too Often Apart," her latest piece for Shelterforce. This story is part of our new Under the Lens series, Street Blocks to Alphabet Blocks: The Housing-Education Connection. Read the series...

Stable, healthy, decent affordable housing sets children up for educational success, and allows schools to be able to focus on what they do best. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute breaks down the housing-education connection and what you can expect in our new series. Read the editor's note at https://shelterforce.org/2024/11/11/the-housing-education-intersection/ This piece is part of the Under the...

More than 18 million Americans live in manufactured housing in mobile home parks—which are de facto the largest source of affordable housing in the United States. But as rents rise, this source of affordable housing is at risk. Fortunately there has emerged a growing movement of resident-owned cooperatives, also known as ROCs. Today, more than 22,000 families who own manufactured housing units in...

In recent decades, the Federal Home Loan Bank system has strayed from its original purpose—lending to support housing. Sharon Cornelissen reads, "The Government-Sponsored Enterprise that Turned Away from Its Housing Mission," an opinion piece she wrote along with Jared Gaby-Biegel and Brian Stromberg. Check out their piece at https://shelterforce.org/2024/10/15/the-government-sponsored-enterprise-...

How well do the presidential candidates’ proposals address the growing housing crisis? Housing advocacy groups share their thoughts and criticisms of the plans (or lack thereof). Shelterforce's Frances Nguyen reads her latest report, "Housing Groups Weigh in on Harris’s and Trump’s Housing Plans." Check out the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/10/22/housing-groups-weigh-in-on-harriss-an...

Shelterforce’s Facebook Live series, “Meet Me at the Intersection of Housing,” was back this week with Marcia Wright-Soika, the executive director of FamilyWorks Seattle. Shelterforce’s CEO and Publisher Schlonn Hawkins chatted with Wright-Soika about affordable housing challenges, how food insecurity impacts community building, and why partnering with families is the key to driving lasting change...

Organizers aim to catalyze a crisis to pressure a major federal housing regulator to lock in tenant protections. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute reads, "Could This Rolling Rent Strike Make the Feds Protect Tenants?" written by Aaron Fernando. Read the full article at https://shelterforce.org/2024/10/04/could-this-rolling-rent-strike-make-the-feds-protect-tenants/

While renters and homebuyers' challenges dominate the headlines, they aren't the only ones wrestling with maintaining decent housing. Daniel McCue, a senior research associate at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, reads his latest piece for Shelterforce, "House Poor: Low-Income Homeowners Struggle in the Shadows." Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/09/27/...

Shelterforce's Frances Nguyen breaks down how each presidential candidate has responded to (or ignored) five key housing issues: low supply, accessible homeownership, tenant protections, rent control, and homelessness. Read the full article at https://shelterforce.org/2024/10/02/where-the-harris-trump-campaigns-stand-on-housing/

The skyrocketing cost of property insurance is endangering the future of affordable housing, even as the need for housing itself is growing. We break down what's been happening, how affordable housing developers are dealing with the cost increases, and more. Read more of our coverage about this issue at: https://shelterforce.org/2024/06/27/rising-property-insurance-costs-the-threat-to-affordable-h...

The Heritage Foundation’s “conservative playbook” isn’t new, but critics say the latest version’s policies and platforms are more discriminatory and dangerous than in the past. Shelby R. King reports: how Project 2025 would Dismantle HUD. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/09/26/how-project-2025-would-dismantle-hud/

Some state finance agencies are using qualified allocation plans, or QAPs, to extend affordability of LIHTC housing beyond 30 years and increase tenant protections. Roshan Abraham takes a closer llook at where it's happening. Listen to, "States Are Using This Tool to Keep LIHTC Housing Affordable for Longer." Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/09/13/states-are-using-this-tool-to-...

Dallas's bonds aren't usually used for housing. A new coalition of advocates changed that. Listen as Bryan Tony reads, "How a Dallas Housing Coalition Won Bonds for Affordable Housing," a piece he and Kate Gustafson recently wrote for Shelterforce. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/09/19/how-a-dallas-housing-coalition-won-bonds-for-affordable-housing/

Four years ago, New Castle County bought a hotel to provide safe housing for its most vulnerable residents. That property evolved away from purely emergency housing to a very different, more holistic, model of care. Listen to Frances Nguyen report, "What Started as Emergency Housing Could Offer a Model for Ending Homelessness in Delaware." Read the full article at https://shelterforce.org/2024/09/...