Housing

Housing is a critical area of focus for local and state government agencies, addressing the need for affordable, safe, and accessible living conditions for all residents. Governments are tasked with developing policies and programs that support housing development, zoning, and homelessness prevention. This directory offers articles on housing and related topics like planning, which examines the design and regulation of the physical spaces in which communities live and work, ensuring sustainable and equitable growth.

Nearly 9% of all homebuyer assistance programs currently available benefit firefighters and other first responders
Ithaca, New York, would be the first city in the U.S. to institute a rent forgiveness program for residents impacted by COVID-19
The CARES Act moratorium covered at least 12.3 million rental units nationwide
A Georgia pastor wants to use a vacant building that previously housed a residential drug treatment program for teenagers to house up to 50 unaccompanied migrant children. Residents, however, are pushing back.
Many of Fresno’s poorest neighborhoods rank highest for a wide range of health risks, a fact public health experts say is no accident
There are 1,686 public housing units reserved for seniors and disabled people in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and several times as many people are waiting for a vacancy.
For the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista, Calif., the goal is to walk away from the initiative with a five-year strategic plan that will help mitigate the cost of living, improve access to childcare, address food and housing insecurity, and create a workforce pipeline for the region.
Community land trusts separate ownership of structures and the land beneath it — residents purchase the home while the land trust owns the land and leases it back for a monthly fee
Managing a growing population and new development has never been easy for state and local leaders. But recent national trends may be making the task more difficult.
Despite catastrophically dangerous conditions in the Allen Benedict Court public housing complex, which led to the deaths of two residents earlier this year, Columbia Housing Authority will not face charges.
While fire-deterring sprinkler systems are now mandated by law in high-rise construction, older buildings like Cedar High Apartments are not required to improve their fire protection unless there is substantial remodeling or a change in the type of occupancy.
The U.S. saves $7 in avoided costs for every $1 spent through federally funded grants to acquire or demolish flood-prone buildings. But that doesn’t mean these programs are boons for every community member.
Structurally unsound buildings pose a threat to inhabitants and the surrounding community, but after an elderly Baltimore woman had her home demolished with just days notice, many are questioning the city’s approach.
Officials with the Huntsville, Alabama, public housing authority had little to say after an investigation found multiple units with an average level of radioactivity above the level that radon contractors say calls for specialized ventilation systems to remove it.
Advocates are hoping congressional legislation will align the HUD definition of homelessness with that of other federal agencies, so that more children, teens and young adults experiencing homelessness can access services.
Bloomberg left office with nearly two-thirds of voters saying he made the city better, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, and a long list of important mayoral moments.
Though still a work in progress, Chicago Lawn is no longer the South Side neighborhood of violent repute, and it may just be a model that helps struggling neighborhoods across the country.
L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg have called for California to enact a legal imperative to provide a roof for every homeless individual and family.
Opportunity zones offer tax incentives for those who choose to invest in distressed communities, but there is little oversight of how money is spent and the effect it has on communities