High insurance costs are calling some organizations’ future into question as supportive housing providers struggle to meet their expenses.

Organizations that operate permanent supportive housing are faced with a steep rise in insurance rates, causing many of them to question their financial future and their ability to develop more housing and provide services for their residents.
As Robert Davis explains in Next City, “These issues have become especially pressing in states like California, Colorado, Louisiana and Florida, where insurance costs have risen significantly due to the increased risk of climate-related disasters.” Since 2019, the nation has lost over 21,000 permanent supportive housing units, while the unhoused population grew by over 200,000 people in the same period.
“Lindsay Brugger, vice president of urban resilience at the Urban Land Institute, tells Next City that many of the issues PSH providers face are emblematic of the broader issues within the insurance industry itself. Insurers are writing fewer policies in climate-disaster-prone areas, and reinsurance companies (firms that reimburse insurance companies) are also providing fewer reimbursements.” Permanent supportive housing providers are barred from passing on insurance costs to their tenants and often operate on very low margins of profit.
Now, federal assistance programs such as HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program and FEMA retrofitting grants could be discontinued under the new administration’s plan to cut government spending.
FULL STORY: Rising Insurance Costs Pose an Existential Risk for Permanent Supportive Housing

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.

EV Chargers Now Outnumber Gas Pumps by Nearly 50% in California
Fast chargers still lag behind amidst rapid growth.

Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks
HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.

Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
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