The Secretary of Urban Housing and Development wants to make renters "independent," but at least two experts say that's a terrible idea.
Ben Carson's recent (paraphrased) comments in Time magazine, during which he called the rental assistance program at HUD something along the lines of "part of 'damaging status quo,'" did not go over particularly well at the Urban Institute. (These were not actually Carson's words, but they were his ideas.)
Assisting low-income Americans with rent is neither damaging nor necessarily the status quo, according to the authors, who point out most of the money goes to the elderly and disabled while, "[a]t the median, households headed by a working-age, nondisabled person receive rental assistance from HUD for less than three years."
Carson's thoughts on rental assistance are fairly critical, given that 84 percent of HUD's budget is dedicated to helping people pay rent, and that paying rent is a primary concern of an enormous number of Americans, particularly at this moment.
"In the middle of a housing crisis,” the authors write, “now is the worst time for HUD to cut funding and reverse policy reforms that hold great promise for reducing dependency by breaking the cycle of instability and poverty. “
FULL STORY: What is the real “damaging status quo” for housing?
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Downtown Los Angeles on the Rise: A Promising 2025
Fueled by new developments, cultural investments, and a growing dining scene, downtown Los Angeles is poised for significant growth in 2025, despite challenges from recent wildfires and economic uncertainties.
A Plan to Expand Tree Canopy Across Dayton
Dayton is developing an urban forest master plan, using a $2 million grant to expand its tree canopy, address decades of tree loss, and enhance environmental equity across the city.
Decarbonizing Homes: The Case for Electrifying Residential Heating
A new MIT study finds that transitioning residential heating from natural gas to electric heat pumps can significantly reduce carbon emissions and operational costs.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research