Can a $52 million plan to close the D.C. General emergency shelter rely on the generosity of landlords in providing houses for the homeless?
Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray last week announced a plan to close the beleaguered homeless shelter at the former D.C. General Hospital—"a plan that depends on persuading landlords and other property owners to free up units and buildings to shelter the homeless," reports Robert Samuels.
"The plan envisions the city leasing about 300 units between a half-dozen buildings sprinkled throughout the city" by convincing "charitable landlords" to accept rapid rehousing vouchers. According to the article by Samuels, that critical consideration has raised concerns about the tenability of the plan.
"In the past six months, the city has found more than 800 units for which landlords have been willing to accept rapid rehousing vouchers. Still, according to an Urban Institute study [pdf], the city is more than 22,000 units short of the number needed to house those who make less than 30 percent of the region’s median income, which is nearly $105,000."
FULL STORY: Landlords face crisis of their own in D.C.’s push to house the homeless
The 'Latino Homeless Paradox'
The city of Philadelphia provides a case study of the so-called "Latino Homeless Paradox." There are many more low-income and homeless Latinos than reflected in the numbers of those using supportive services in the city.
Carson: HUD No Longer Raising Rents for Subsidized Households
Blame it on the federal budget, says Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carson.
'Housing Insights' Mapping Tool Designed to Preserve Subsidized Housing in D.C.
The Housing Insights team of volunteer civic hackers hopes you'll use their software in other cities, too.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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.
City of Albany
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