Welcome to Housing Is, a hub for generating effective programs and sharing innovative ideas.

Sign Up or Sign In
 

Housing Is Working Group 2023-2024 Calendar

Join the Housing Is Working Group to discuss special topics related to cross-sector initiatives and programmatic considerations particularly focused on the intersections of housing, health, and education.

This year’s public webinars cover topics such as the mobility asthma project, trauma-informed approaches to housing, resident-focused racial equity work, out-of-school time, and how FCC grantees are supprting voucher holders.

View Calendar
 

Elements of a Successful Partnership

With generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, CLPHA developed an in-depth report on regional housing-education collaborations taking place at housing authorities across the Pacific-Northwest.

Read the Multimedia Report
 
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 21, 2019
Homelessness among students enrolled in schools from kindergarten through 12th grade has increased 70 percent over the last decade.

Authored by: Lauren Camera for U.S. News and World Report
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 25, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 19, 2019
New Orleans faced a major crisis in homelessness following Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, two years after the storm, there were more than 11,600 homeless people in the city. Since then, New Orleans stepped up its effort to tackle homelessness and has brought that number down 90 percent.

Authored by: Jeremy Hobson for WBUR
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, South
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 21, 2019

How New Orleans Reduced Its Homeless Population By 90 Percent

News Article
Feb 19, 2019
Jeremy Hobson for WBUR
New Orleans faced a major crisis in homelessness following Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, two years after the storm, there were more than 11,600 homeless people in the city. Since then, New Orleans stepped up its effort to tackle homelessness and has brought that number down 90 percent.
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Feb 20, 2019
As the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) prioritizes programs to help households receiving rental assistance achieve economic self-sufficiency, researchers, policymakers, and advocates debate the utility of work requirements as an effective pathway toward economic self-sufficiency and the risks of offering rental assistance on a conditional basis. This study contributes additional evidence suggesting that work requirements, when implemented gradually and in context with hardship exemptions and local supports, can boost annual household income, earnings, and the adult-employment ratio* for low-income households with no work history. But work requirements have little effect on those with prior earnings.

Authored by: Han Bum Lee and Paul E. McNamara for Housing Policy Debate (How Housing Matters, Urban Institute)
Topics: Asset building, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 21, 2019

Exploring the Effects of Work Requirements at a Small Illinois Housing Authority

Research
Feb 20, 2019
Han Bum Lee and Paul E. McNamara for Housing Policy Debate (How Housing Matters, Urban Institute)
As the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) prioritizes programs to help households receiving rental assistance achieve economic self-sufficiency, researchers, policymakers, and advocates debate the utility of work requirements as an effective pathway toward economic self-sufficiency
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 3, 2018
Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) wants to eliminate Article 34 of the state Constitution, which requires a citywide public vote before new low-income housing projects that receive public funding are built. The provision was added to the Constitution through a ballot initiative in 1950, and Allen said it was a relic in need of repeal.

Authored by: Liam Dillon for the Los Angeles Times
Topics: Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 19, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
What is source of income discrimination, and who are the Rhode Islanders affected by it? The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, familial status, sex, and disability. Rhode Island state law goes further, granting residents additional rights. Yet both still allow landlords to reject a prospective tenant based solely on where his or her income comes from, even when the applicant can lawfully pay the requested rent.

Authored by: SouthCoast Fair Housing
Topics: East Coast, Housing, Low-income, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 19, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 8, 2019
The Battered Women’s Shelter in Akron has gotten funding from HUD to cover rent and other living expenses for domestic violence victims after they leave shelters for the past decade. HUD has now approved $1.7 million to be distributed to other Ohio cities for this purpose.

Authored by: Stephanie Warsmith for Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio.com
Topics: Domestic violence, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Midwest
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 19, 2019

HUD leader announces funding expansion at Akron domestic violence shelter

News Article
Feb 8, 2019
Stephanie Warsmith for Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio.com
The Battered Women’s Shelter in Akron has gotten funding from HUD to cover rent and other living expenses for domestic violence victims after they leave shelters for the past decade. HUD has now approved $1.7 million to be distributed to other Ohio cities for this purpose.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 12, 2019
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gave the green light for San Diego County to apply for up to $125 million in state funding to help people get off the streets and receive mental health treatment.

Authored by: Alexander Nguyen for Times of San Diego
Topics: Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Stability, Substance abuse, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 14, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 8, 2019
The Seattle city auditor recommended the city expand access to 24-hour bathroom and hygiene facilities to mitigate the public health risks of unsanctioned homeless tent camps and improve coordination among outreach teams.

Authored by: Vernal Coleman for The Seattle Times
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Pacific Northwest
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 14, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 12, 2019
As the previous shutdown lingered, officials worried what running out of money could mean for 1.1 million low-income households.

Authored by: Amanda Abrams for yes!
Topics: CLPHA, Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 14, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Jan 10, 2019
Local officials, impact investors, and philanthropy have important roles to play in helping communities access Opportunity Zone financing that benefits current residents, especially those with low or moderate incomes. Using Chicago and Cook County as a case study, we identify steps these actors can take to attract helpful, and limit harmful, investments. We find that the Opportunity Zones selected in Chicago and Cook County broadly fulfilled the incentive’s spirit, targeting areas that were more economically distressed. Going forward, it will be necessary to leverage available policy and philanthropic levers to compel private action in line with community interests.

Authored by: Brett Theodos and Brady Meixell for the Urban Institute
Topics: Community development, Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Midwest, Place-based, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 14, 2019

How Chicago and Cook County Can Leverage Opportunity Zones for Community Benefit

Research
Jan 10, 2019
Brett Theodos and Brady Meixell for the Urban Institute
Local officials, impact investors, and philanthropy have important roles to play in helping communities access Opportunity Zone financing that benefits current residents, especially those with low or moderate incomes.
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Feb 5, 2019
Baltimore is the 30th-largest US city by population and is a study in contrasts. It has a low average income compared with other wealthy Northeast cities, has nine colleges and universities, and is a magnet for people pursuing higher education but has undergone decades of population loss. A large social sector provides important services to residents and buoys the local economy: nearly every third job in the city is with a nonprofit employer. But this also illustrates the city’s limited economic vibrancy. This mix of market and nonmarket forces makes Baltimore an important place to examine the geography of opportunity in an American city.

Authored by: The Urban Institute
Topics: Community development, East Coast, Housing, Low-income, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 14, 2019

"The Black Butterfly:" Racial Segregation and Investment Patterns in Baltimore

Research
Feb 5, 2019
The Urban Institute
Baltimore is the 30th-largest US city by population and is a study in contrasts. It has a low average income compared with other wealthy Northeast cities, has nine colleges and universities, and is a magnet for people pursuing higher education but has undergone decades of population loss.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 30, 2019
FRESNO COUNTY, California - Research shows that a child's enviornment, where they live, can have a huge impact on the outcome of their education. We take a look at how Fresno County's philosophy about public housing is having a positive impact on families.

Authored by: Juanita Stevenson for yourvalley.com
Topics: Broadband, CLPHA, Education, Housing, Low-income, Out-of-school time, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 11, 2019

Inspiring the Valley: Positive changes in public housing creates a 'transformative' environment

News Article
Jan 30, 2019
Juanita Stevenson for yourvalley.com
FRESNO COUNTY, California - Research shows that a child's enviornment, where they live, can have a huge impact on the outcome of their education. We take a look at how Fresno County's philosophy about public housing is having a positive impact on families.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 4, 2019
Central Ohio’s suburbs have become a target of affordable housing efforts. With the region’s rising housing costs straining people everywhere, developers, advocates and some city leaders are increasingly calling attention to the need for affordable housing to be built in places where it historically hasn’t been.

Authored by: Kevin Stankiewicz for The Columbus Dispatch
Topics: Community development, Housing, Midwest
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 7, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 4, 2019
Officials celebrated clearing the encampments, one of the top goals of the Philadelphia Resilience Project, the city’s emergency plan for Kensington. But, they said, it’s only the beginning of the larger effort to help people in addiction and heal a neighborhood ravaged by opioids.

Authored by: Joel Wolfram for WHYY
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Substance abuse
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 7, 2019

With Kensington's encampments gone, work to end opioid-related homelessness is just beginning

News Article
Feb 4, 2019
Joel Wolfram for WHYY
Officials celebrated clearing the encampments, one of the top goals of the Philadelphia Resilience Project, the city’s emergency plan for Kensington. But, they said, it’s only the beginning of the larger effort to help people in addiction and heal a neighborhood ravaged by opioids.
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Feb 6, 2019
Research suggests that living in concentrated poverty is harmful to health, well-being, and economic mobility. Inclusionary zoning can break up poverty density by imposing legal requirements to create affordable housing across neighborhoods. In Montgomery County, Maryland, inclusionary zoning laws require developers to set aside 12 to 15 percent of new homes at below-market rates and allow the public housing authority to purchase a portion of these units. As a result, two-thirds of public housing residents in Montgomery County live in economically diverse, low-poverty neighborhoods. To assess the effects of these unique conditions, researchers explored how public housing residents’ social networks, neighborhood perceptions, and health outcomes differ based on their placement in mixed-income communities or traditionally clustered public housing.

Authored by: Heather Schwartz, Susan Burkhauser, Beth Ann Griffin, David Kennedy, Harold Green Jr., Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, and Craig Pollack for Housing Policy Debate, How Housing Matters
Topics: Community development, Housing, Mental health, Place-based, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 7, 2019

Inclusionary Zoning Can Improve Outcomes for Public Housing Residents

Research
Feb 6, 2019
Heather Schwartz, Susan Burkhauser, Beth Ann Griffin, David Kennedy, Harold Green Jr., Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, and Craig Pollack for Housing Policy Debate, How Housing Matters
Research suggests that living in concentrated poverty is harmful to health, well-being, and economic mobility. Inclusionary zoning can break up poverty density by imposing legal requirements to create affordable housing across neighborhoods.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 4, 2019
The U.S. territory needs to urgently tackle issues such as "widespread informal housing" and "the exorbitant amount of abandoned spaces" as it rebuilds after Hurricane Maria.

Authored by: Nicole Acevedo for NBC News
Topics: Community development, Food insecurity, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Nutrition, Safety, Stability, U.S. Territories
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 4, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 25, 2019
A long understudied facet of the American housing market, evictions have hit no area of the country harder than the South, a region home to most of the top-evicting large and mid-sized U.S. cities, according to a list released by Princeton’s Eviction Lab.

Authored by: Max Blau for The Telegraph
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Research, South, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 31, 2019

Black southerners are bearing the brunt of America's eviction epidemic

News Article
Jan 25, 2019
Max Blau for The Telegraph
A long understudied facet of the American housing market, evictions have hit no area of the country harder than the South, a region home to most of the top-evicting large and mid-sized U.S. cities, according to a list released by Princeton’s Eviction Lab.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 29, 2019
Housing complex would integrate residents with special needs into the larger community

Authored by: Tara Bahrampour for The Washington Post
Topics: Disabilities, Dual-generation, Housing, Mental health, Place-based, Safety
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 31, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 30, 2019
More than 130,000 households in Los Angeles County receive some form of federal rental assistance and were at risk of not being able to pay their rent if the shutdown had lasted through the end of February. But the mere threat of thousands of poor people returning to homelessness in L.A. — and the possibility of that threat happening again — has rattled government officials and affordable housing advocates.

Authored by: Benjamin Oreskes and Doug Smith for The Los Angeles Times
Topics: CLPHA, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Stability, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 30, 2019

The government shutdown is over, but uncertainty remains for tenants in public housing

News Article
Jan 30, 2019
Benjamin Oreskes and Doug Smith for The Los Angeles Times
More than 130,000 households in Los Angeles County receive some form of federal rental assistance and were at risk of not being able to pay their rent if the shutdown had lasted through the end of February. But the mere threat of thousands of poor people returning to homelessness in L.A.
0
1
1
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 30, 2019
Housing subsidies are one of the fastest ways to get a homeless person off the street or to prevent someone from becoming homeless in the first place. Federal subsidies — dispensed through Section 8 vouchers and other forms of aid for renters — use public dollars to make up the difference between what a person can afford to pay for an apartment and what landlords typically charge for one. They’re an essential tool to help Los Angeles end its homeless crisis. But there is a problem: A growing number of landlords won’t even considering leasing to tenants with vouchers or other forms of government rental assistance.

Authored by: Editorial Board for The Los Angeles Times
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mobility, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 30, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Mar 14, 2017
This brief examines the well-being of young children 20 months after staying in emergency homeless shelters with their families.

Authored by: Office of the Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Topics: Early childhood, Homelessness, Housing, Literacy, Low-income, Research, School-readiness
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 29, 2019
0
1
1
0
News Article
Community:
Jun 11, 2018
At a recent public meeting, Sandra Lee Fewer, a member of the city’s Board of Supervisors, asked acting librarian Michael Lambert to explore whether future library renovations might include affordable housing. Fewer hopes to leverage existing public land to create multi-story facilities that include both libraries and housing.

Authored by: Steve Dubb for NPQ
Topics: Community development, Homelessness, Housing, Literacy, Low-income, Partnerships, Place-based, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 29, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 24, 2019
A new collaboration of San Francisco Bay Area foundations and businesses is raising $540 million to tackle the region’s affordable housing crisis.

Authored by: Affordable Housing Finance
Topics: Community development, Health, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Supportive housing, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 28, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 20, 2019
Unlike elementary and secondary school students, whose families can get some support from things like federal free breakfast and lunch programs, for college students much of that assistance dries up.

Authored by: Deirdre Cohen for CBS News
Topics: Education, Food insecurity, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Post-secondary, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 28, 2019

Homeless on Campus

News Article
Jan 20, 2019
Deirdre Cohen for CBS News
Unlike elementary and secondary school students, whose families can get some support from things like federal free breakfast and lunch programs, for college students much of that assistance dries up.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 25, 2019
A whole host of factors — such as friends, housing and transportation — affect a person’s health and how much they need the social safety net. It’s time the government’s big health insurance programs took this reality into account, some lawmakers and policymakers are starting to argue.

Authored by: Paige Winfield Cunningham for The Washington Post
Topics: Asset building, Cost effectiveness, Disabilities, Education, Food insecurity, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Seniors, Transportation, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 25, 2019

The Health 202: Policymakers are realizing health is about a lot more than just care

News Article
Jan 25, 2019
Paige Winfield Cunningham for The Washington Post
A whole host of factors — such as friends, housing and transportation — affect a person’s health and how much they need the social safety net. It’s time the government’s big health insurance programs took this reality into account, some lawmakers and policymakers are starting to argue.