Author: Chris Holden
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NIMBY opposition to affordable housing and shelter takes many forms
There are few places in this country that have enough affordable rental housing or shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Part of this is due to “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) opposition in cities around the country playing a large role in halting new shelter, transitional housing, and affordable rentals. Fair housing research in New…
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Bill would make housing vouchers an entitlement for all that need assistance
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers have been the largest federal assistance program for low-income renters since the program was created in the 1970s. But because the program has been under-funded by Congress, only 1-in-5 eligible households gets a voucher to help with their rent. Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) has introduced legislation that would make Housing…
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HUD launches House America Initiative to reduce homelessness
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has launched a new effort to reduce homelessness around the country. HUD’s House America Initiative will help state and local governments use pandemic relief funds for re-housing persons who are homeless. It will also help build new supportive and affordable housing. There are 26 state, tribal, and…
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New research shows where evictions are most likely to happen
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a tool to identify areas where evictions are most likely to happen when pandemic eviction protections end. The Urban Displacement Project (UDP) at UC Berkeley has created maps that show what neighborhoods have high “housing precarity.” This means that renters living in these neighborhoods are at…
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Eviction hotspots found in most cities before and during the pandemic
Research at Princeton University shows that a large portion of eviction filings are made by just a few landlords in a handful of buildings. In addition, most cities have neighborhoods that account for the largest share of eviction filings, both before and during the pandemic. Black renters continue to face eviction at rates higher than…
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Taking the stigma out of rental assistance increases applications
Although Congress has provided billions of dollars for Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA), state and local governments have been slow to get that money to desperate renters and landlords. This issue is partly due to problems with how some programs are run, but some areas have low submission rates for applications. In response, local agencies are…
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New bill proposal will speed up ERA payments
Many state and local Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs have been slow in getting funds to desperate renters and landlords. New legislation in the House of Representatives will speed up ERA payments, if voted into law. It will also allow landlords to apply directly for emergency rental assistance, and provide protections for tenants in those…
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How a government default could impact low-income renters
Low-income renters will be badly hurt if Congress fails to suspend the debt ceiling before the middle of October. If the Treasury can no longer pay the nation’s bills, it would shut down most federal programs, including housing programs. A federal default would be catastrophic. It would badly damage the U.S. economy and global markets,…
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Minimum wage workers in U.S. cannot afford rent
There is no county or city in the United States where someone working full-time for minimum wage can afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. In its annual Out of Reach report, the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) looks at rent and wage information for every state, county and major metropolitan area in the country. The 2021…
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House proposes historic housing funds for infrastructure bill
The House voted 30-24 last week to approve more than $330 billion in affordable housing funding for the bipartisan infrastructure package. The bill makes historic investments in rental assistance, public housing improvements, and the production of new affordable housing. Housing advocates look at the bill as a once-in-a-generation commitment to affordable housing. Because these large…