Category: Housing News
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Circuit Court ruling protects homeless sleeping in public
A federal court has ruled that local governments in nine western U.S. states cannot arrest people for sleeping on sidewalks or camping in public places. Last month, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower federal court ruling that says penalizing someone for sleeping in public violates the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel…
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Federal court overturns gun bans in Public Housing
A federal District Court judge recently ruled that banning the lawful possession of firearms by Public Housing residents is unconstitutional. In a case brought against the East St. Louis Housing Authority (ESLHA), a Public Housing resident claimed that ESLHA’s restriction against tenants having firearms in their units violated her Second Amendment rights. The case was…
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HUD proposal would ban undocumented immigrants from housing
The Trump administration proposed a rule this week that would prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving HUD housing assistance. Reportedly affecting about 25,000 households, this is the administration’s latest attempt to close off safety net benefits from immigrants; both documented and undocumented. As reported in The New York Times, the proposal would overturn what the Trump…
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Spotlight on current homelessness issues in America
Two recent efforts highlight the growth of homelessness in America, and the important efforts being made to combat this problem. A February report found that the growth rate of student homelessness in rural areas is almost four times greater than the national increase of all homeless students in the U.S. And in light of the…
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Princeton publishes first eviction database in the US
America is experiencing an affordable housing crisis as more families have trouble paying rising rents. The dark side of this crisis is an epidemic of evictions. Last year, Princeton University published the first database of evictions in the U.S. This data is intended to be used to discover new information, raise awareness, and help find…
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California Lawmakers Move to Strike Down Constitutional NIMBY Provision
California has a reputation as a progressive state, but its constitution makes it harder to build new affordable housing than in any other state in the country. In December of last year, California lawmakers introduced a bill to repeal that legislation; which if passed, would go to a public vote in 2020. The California Constitution’s…
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HUD Files Fair Housing Complaint Against Facebook
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is charging Facebook with violating the Fair Housing Act. In announcing the charge, HUD says that Facebook encouraged, enabled and caused housing discrimination through its advertising platform. HUD’s charge is the latest controversy surrounding Facebook, which has recently been involved in issues of selling user data…
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Oregon First in Nation with Statewide Rent Control
Oregon enacted the first statewide rent control law in the nation in February, providing low-income renters with important protections. The state has seen a dramatic rise in rents with the tech boom and has been hit hard by the affordable housing crisis. Supporters say it will help address skyrocketing housing costs and slow the epidemic…
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New legislation proposes carbon monoxide detectors in HUD units
In response to recent deaths of two Public Housing residents, lawmakers are now proposing legislation requiring carbon monoxide (CO) detectors for all major HUD rental assistance programs. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced legislation in March, requiring CO detectors in all units funded through the main HUD rental assistance programs. In announcing the Safe Housing for…
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Trump FY20 Budget Disastrous for Affordable Housing (Again)
President Trump released the first part of his FY 2020 budget, and it proposes disastrous cuts to critical affordable housing programs. The White House is proposing $9.6 billion in cuts to HUD programs, a massive 18% decrease from FY 2019 funding. The administration also proposes eliminating all direct housing programs at USDA. Similar to last…