Shelterforce

Thirteen years ago, an ambitious government initiative set out to move hundreds of families away from perilous conditions, including landslides, in Ecuador's capital. Today, 37 of those households are still waiting for the subsidies they need to become true owners of their new homes. Listen to, "How Quito’s Climate Relocation Plan Left 44 Families in Jeopardy," by Robinson Markus. Read the story a...

As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we'll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here's how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides. "Retreating From The Coasts Makes Sense, But Our Current Approach Isn't Working," was written by Yuliya Panfil Tim Robustelli. Read the full article at https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/06/we-must-r...

Programs that offer reentry housing for formerly incarcerated people often replicate jail or prison settings. How can housing providers do better? Frances Nguyen reads her latest reported piece for Shelterforce, "Housing Advocates Design a Better Homecoming for People Leaving Incarceration." Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/09/04/housing-advocates-design-a-better-homecoming-for...

Shelterforce's Lara Heard breaks down the latest information on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. How is the affordable housing industry taking advantage of the funding opportunities, and why are some folks worried about the fund's rollout? You can also read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/23/whats-happening-with-the-billions-in-climate-funding-for-low-income-communities/

There's no one way to determine what makes "green" housing. Here's a breakdown of the standards and considerations used by the affordable housing industry. Shelterforce's Lara Heard reads, "What Makes Affordable Housing ‘Green'?" written by Roshan Abraham. Read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/01/what-makes-affordable-housing-green/

CEER recruits residents to gauge their communities' climate needs and to act as climate educators. Shelterforce's Lara Heard asked Rita Robles and Carmen Cavezza about the program, how it works, and future plans. Listen to a summary of their interview here, or read the transcript at: https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/20/in-houston-climate-ambassadors-represent-their-own-neighborhoods/

Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps have long been blamed for racial inequities in today’s Black neighborhoods, but recent research shows that’s misleading. Listen to, "Redlining Maps Didn't Affect Neighborhoods the Way You Think They Did," an op-ed written by Alan Mallach, and read by John Ludas. Read the op-ed at: https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/21/redlining-maps-didnt-affect-neighborhoods-the-w...

For decades, a group of Cambodian refugees worked to improve and upgrade their Stockton, California, affordable housing complex. While they technically own half of the property, they're still waiting on HUD to approve their full ownership. Why hasn't it happened yet? Listen to "Will This Resident Group Get Full Control of the Complex They Helped Fix?" This article was reported by Amanda Abrams, an...

Neighborhood-scale community development organizations have community connections and trust that can’t be replicated by larger organizations, and they should be valued as the foundation of the field. Bill Taft reads his op-ed, "Standing Up for Small CDCs." Read the op-ed at https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/28/standing-up-for-small-cdcs/

Last year it seemed like a new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule was imminent, but it never happened. And now it's late enough in the term that if it were finalized, next year's Congress could invalidate it. Shelby R. King reads her latest Shelterforce article, "Housing Equity in Limbo—Why Hasn’t Biden Finalized an Update to AFFH?" Read the article at https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/27/h...

Thousands lost their homes in the Almeda and Marshall fires. Years into long-term recovery, a look at who received emergency assistance and who was left out can teach us a lot about which populations are most vulnerable to climate events. Shelby R. King reports. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/08/13/what-two-wildfires-reveal-about-the-cracks-in-our-emergency-response/

Four years after the pandemic first wrought havoc on the American economy, nonprofit housers are being overwhelmed by rental arrears. Can they balance their social mission against their operational realities? Corey McDonald reports, "Affordable Housers Face Deepening Rental Arrears and Ballooning Expenses." This audio version of the article is read by John Ludas. Read the full story at https://she...

A new statewide program aims to help renters benefit from the value they add to the buildings they live in. Roshan Abraham reports on how the program could work, and when it could begin. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/06/20/colorado-wants-to-give-tenants-money-for-paying-rent/

U.S. cities don't provide residents with enough protections against heat, the deadliest weather-related killer in the world. Jill Webb reports on one organization in NYC that came together to distribute ACs to neighbors in need. Read the full story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/07/30/beating-extreme-heat-through-community-efforts/

Ithaca became the latest city to opt into New York’s new Good Cause Eviction Law. What are tenant organizers doing to make the law work better for their communities? Frances Nguyen reads her latest piece, "In Upstate New York, the Fight for Good Cause Continues." Read the story at https://shelterforce.org/2024/07/12/in-upstate-new-york-the-fight-for-good-cause-continues/

When tenant protections are popular, opponents know better than to try to repeal them. But they can damage them just the same. Miriam Axel-Lute reads her latest op-ed, "Winning Tenant Protections Isn't Enough." Read the piece at https://shelterforce.org/2024/07/18/winning-tenant-protections-isnt-enough/

Shelterforce's Lara Heard explains what you can expect in our new Under the Lens series—Dual Crises: Housing in a Changing Climate. Read Heard's editor's note here: https://shelterforce.org/2024/07/24/shelter-and-the-storm-housing-and-climate-change-are-intertwined/ Check out the entire series at https://shelterforce.org/series/dual-crises-housing-in-a-changing-climate/

When it comes to LIHTC deals, nonprofit developers don't get the same advantages big, for-profit developers do. A new fund is setting out to change that. James Peffley, chief executive officer of NeighborWorks Capital, breaks it down. Read the piece at https://shelterforce.org/2024/06/25/nonprofit-housing-developers-deserve-better-lihtc-terms/

Who owns our homes is an absolutely essential part of housing policy, and an even greater part of housing politics. Alex Schafran reads, "Ownership Matters: Institutional Investors and Corporate Ownership." Read the full story at: https://shelterforce.org/2024/05/23/ownership-matters-institutional-investors-and-corporate-ownership/

In 2019, a large affordable housing operator implemented a unique program meant to reduce evictions across its properties. Several years, one pandemic, and an economic downturn later, we check in to see how the landlord—and the tenants—are faring. Shelterforce's Shelby R. King reads her recent article, "Mixed Results: How an Eviction Prevention Program is Going." Read the full story at https://she...

There are many proposed ways to mitigate the property insurance cost crisis. They all require federal or state government to act. John Ludas reads, "Reining in Rising Property Insurance Rates," written by Franklin Schneider. Read the full story at: https://shelterforce.org/2024/06/21/reining-in-rising-property-insurance-rates/

Shelterforce recently spoke with community-lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations planning to do to avoid becoming the next target? John Ludas reads, "Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?" written by Sandra Larson. This article is part of Shelterforce's Under the Lens series, Moving Community Development Forward. C...

In Spain, a new law makes rent control possible—and one region has implemented it. In Catalunya, a rent freeze and rental price index promise to help struggling tenants. Olivia Haber Greenwood reads, "This Part of Spain Has Won Rent Regulations U.S. Tenant Activists Can Only Dream Of," a piece she reported on for Shelterforce. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2024/06/26/this-part...

It's easy to stick to the tried-and-true pipeline when hiring for community development roles. But forming connections with people from different industries and generations can make our teams stronger. Amandula Anderson, executive director for the Indiana region for IFF, a Chicago-based CDFI, reads, "Want Leaders in Community Development? Develop a New Hiring Strategy." The piece recently appeared...

Attachment to tax credits, which can’t provide as much housing as we need, is keeping the much-needed expertise of nonprofit developers out of conversations about alternatives, says Beilul Naizghi. Listen to her recent piece for Shelterforce, "Why Don’t California’s Nonprofit Housers Embrace Social Housing?" read by Mark Ludas. Read the full piece at shelterforce.org/2024/05/17/why-dont-california...