Housing Crisis

Vacant Properties Occupied by Homeless Families Turned Over to Community Land Trust
A major victory in the fight for housing justice has been achieved in Philadelphia.

Overdue Rent Could Equal $34 Billion by January 2021
As Americans deal with job losses and ongoing unemployment, rent bills are piling up and a wave of evictions looms on the horizon.

Rent Control Debated in the Nation's Capital
District council members and local tenant advocates are engaged in a bit of tug of war about how far the District should go to limit the amount landlords can raise rents.

Lessons from the Last Housing Crisis: How to Get Control of Properties
How to keep affordable apartments and single-family homes out of the hands of institutional investors if the coronavirus pandemic leads to a giant wave of evictions and foreclosures.

Affordable Housing Project Fails From Community Opposition in Honolulu
The final demise of a closely watched, controversial affordable housing project was reported this week in Honolulu.

Inclusionary Zoning Sought by Toronto's Chief Planner
Gregg Lintern, chief planner and executive director of the City Planning Division for Toronto, went before a city committee this week to press for a new inclusionary zoning scheme to ensure the construction of affordable housing.

NoHo and SoHo Rezoning Controversies, Amplified
One of the big questions of planning is up for debate with a proposed rezoning in the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods of New York City: Can upzoning be an effective tool for affordability?

The High Cost of Rampant Evictions: $315 Million a Year in Harris County, Texas
Evictions incur immense costs for the public and nonprofit sector, according to new analysis from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Phoenix Eviction and Foreclosure Rates Doubled the National Average—Then the Pandemic Hit
A new report looks at pre-existing foreclosure and eviction rates to predict where the worst outcomes of the pandemic's economic downturn for homeowners and renters are likely to happen.

Opinion: Denver Needs New Direction on Housing
A Denver writer calls attention to the city's worsening housing affordability, gentrification, and displacement challenges, and prescribes a YIMBY response.

States Use CARES Act Funds to Keep Renters Afloat
More than a dozen states are using Community Development Block Grant funding from the CARES Act to fund emergency rental and mortgage assistance programs.

Early Returns on Austin's New Density Bonus Program: 2,337 Affordable Housing Units
Since late 2019, developers who deliver affordable housing units in Austin have received bonuses in height, density, parking, and other regulatory metrics, leading to a large number of new affordable housing units in the pipeline.
The First Affordable High Rise in 50 Years Set to Break Ground in Seattle
Philanthropic giving is providing a light in the dark of the economic downturn.

How the Pandemic Has Magnified the Pre-Existing Housing Crisis
Declining rents won't be a silver lining in the post-pandemic housing crisis.

Home Valuation Needs to Consider the Risk of Climate Change
Climate change-fueled sea-level rise could cause a housing crisis of a new sort if the federal government doesn't reconsider valuation policies.

Another Defeat for Statewide Zoning Reform in California
Another year, another defeat for sweeping changes to the status quo of single-family zoning in the state of California. SB 1120 would have allowed duplexes in areas previously zoned for detached single family zoning.

California Unions Voice Strong Opposition to Housing Bills
Trades groups demanded provisions in housing bills that ultimately will stymie the construction of much-needed affordable housing in the state.

South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill
L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to SB 1120, calling the bill an attack on the residential integrity throughout the state of California.

New Housing Fund Launched in New Orleans
A new housing relief fund has been launched in New Orleans to help low-income residents deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

When Affordable for the County Isn't Affordable for the Neighborhood
A critical question arises in response to an affordable housing project proposed in Phoenix: When measuring a project's affordability, does the larger county's median income matter when some neighborhoods are struggling well beyond that measure?
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