Editorials

Last week, President Biden announced his administration’s plan to lower housing costs by spurring the development of thousands of new affordable homes.

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A bipartisan Senate proposal would make emergency rental assistance a permanent program, and provide other support for renters at risk of eviction.

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A new research brief shows that rural counties make up the vast majority of places that have experienced extreme poverty over several decades.

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New data shows that low-income households overwhelmingly used their Child Tax Credit payments to cover basic needs like food, utilities, and rent. 

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Idaho’s Governor Brad Little last month approved $50 million to build more affordable housing for working people. This is the first time in the state’s history that Idaho’s state government has provided any funds to develop new affordable housing. Although the state legislature created a state affordable housing trust fund in 1992, it has never … Continue reading Idaho approves affordable housing funds for the first time in state’s history

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Just last year, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to pass a law prohibiting landlords from checking an applicant’s criminal history background as part of the application process.  After much debate and the combined efforts of civil rights organizations, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the Fair Chance Housing Act (FCHA) into … Continue reading Historic state law gives criminal offenders a fair chance for housing

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California added more than 6,000 shelter units for people experiencing homelessness in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was accomplished with a lot of pandemic relief money to buy and renovate hotels and motels; but much of the success is also due to a state program that reduced regulatory barriers to new shelters. … Continue reading Lowering regulatory barriers leads to surge in shelters for homeless persons

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Affordable housing was only briefly mentioned in President Biden’s first State of the Union address last week, but it showed that the affordable housing crisis is a priority for the administration. The first part of President Biden’s speech was devoted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the second part of the address covered what … Continue reading Biden supports more affordable housing in first State of the Union address

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Update: On Wednesday night, the Senate voted to not move the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Act forward to a final vote. A vote to change filibuster rules also failed, removing any chance of the voting rights bill passing into law. As the U.S. Senate debates passing the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis … Continue reading What voting rights mean for housing

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