Alliance for Housing Justice’s Post

Many metropolitan areas, including Greater Boston where I live, face a housing crisis...lack of accessible and affordable housing. What are reasons for this crisis, particularly in liberal/progressive municipalités such as my hometown of Newton, MA? I highly recommend this book by Richard Kahlenberg... Excluded: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See The book is very enlightening. Another author in a book on a similar topic raised the question..."How often do citizens attend local zoning committee meetings?" His answer..."only when the proposed zoning directly affects them where they live." I recently attended à community meeting about à proposed development that included 20% of its units for residents making less than 50% of the area médian income. The meeting was very informative AND discouraging...an example that could have come from the pages of Excluded. What have you done or are you doing if your city or state needs to solve the problem of affordable and accessible housing?

There's a notable change in the current housing crisis as states nationwide are stepping forward to tackle the shortage of homes and the escalating costs driving families away from their neighborhoods. In a recent piece by Rachel Cohen for Vox titled "After decades of inaction, states are finally stepping up on housing," encouraging developments indicate a significant shift towards tangible solutions. From Oregon to Maryland, lawmakers are revising zoning regulations, streamlining construction procedures, and offering incentives to foster the creation of affordable housing. At Homes for America, we believe that affordable housing isn't merely an aspiration; it's a fundamental human entitlement. By advocating for policies that promote inclusivity and accessibility in housing, we're actively contributing to a future where everyone can find a place to call their own. Read the full article from Vox here: https://lnkd.in/gwNz6cuj

The U.S. grapples with a deepening housing crisis, disproportionately affecting people of color. While the Biden Administration proposes policy changes focusing on zoning and financing, history suggests a need for renewed investment in public housing to address systemic issues. https://lnkd.in/ghyvw6na #housingcrisis #publichousing #systemicissues #zoningandfinancing

🏡 The Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Housing Act was officially introduced by Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)! Smart Growth America—with support from our LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors coalition—is proud to have endorsed this piece of legislation that aims to reimagine zoning laws and empower local governments to develop more affordable housing in the U.S. 👏 "Historically, zoning practices have been used to divide communities and concentrate poverty in under-resourced areas. By transforming our zoning regulations, more people would have access to affordable and diverse types of housing, high-paying jobs, and healthy and safe communities." Learn more about the bill ⤵ https://lnkd.in/etx-QNyt

There are precious few times when Republicans and Democrats come together, but housing policy should be one of them. In a new article for National Affairs, I review the exciting cross-partisan coalitions that have come together to make housing more affordable and less segregated by curbing harmful exclusionary land use policies in a number of communities across the country. In the coming year, my colleagues and I at the Progressive Policy Institute hope to create a cross-partisan task force to build on these state and local successes. https://lnkd.in/ecGF2eG5

Questions of housing and land-use policy have been considered the province of local governments for decades, reaching back as far as the invention of zoning in the early 20th century. In some respects, it’s been the most meaningful power cities have and the lever over which local citizens have the most direct control. Until recently, too, affordable housing has been seen mostly as a big-city problem. In the last decade, however, the high cost of housing — as well as questions about the quality, accessibility and stability of housing, especially for low-income people — have become widespread concerns in suburban and rural areas as well. State policymakers have begun advancing ambitious housing policies of their own, and not just in coastal areas. To date, no state or city has figured out how to address the lack of affordable and accessible housing at the scale that’s needed. But many experiments are underway, and the pressure on lawmakers at every level of government to act is only growing more intense.

What is the role of government in addressing our housing challenges? Professor Lily Geismer encourages a turn toward European-style social housing, saying in her article: "This vision of social housing has a chance to undo the mistakes of the postwar era, which stigmatized public housing, and produced substandard and segregated residences for only the poorest of Americans. But for such programs to truly solve the affordable housing crisis, the federal government needs to be involved. The scope of the problem is simply too large for states and localities to tackle. Imaging and designing a federal initiative will take policymakers who can think big, while learning from the mistakes of the post-WWII housing projects. Crucially, they should follow the lead of local housing activists who see housing as a right, not a commodity."

🏡 **Navigating the Housing Crisis for Senior Citizens in New York** 🏡 A thought-provoking piece by Alexander Roithmayr unveils the multifaceted challenges and bureaucratic intricacies facing many in the Hudson Valley of NY. However, who's looking out for our senior residents in this difficult housing market?🚪🛑 🔑 **Key Insights:** - “Home rule” powers in New York state, while intended to empower local municipalities, have inadvertently exacerbated the housing crisis.  - Zoning and planning board members may lack the necessary education to make informed, impactful decisions regarding local housing policies. 📘🚫 - Senior citizens are notably impacted, often confined to suboptimal living conditions due to economic and emotional factors. 🧓🏠 🔄 *What Can Change?* Education, community-driven solutions, and adaptable policies may pave the way forward, intertwining both emotional and financial support for seniors in our community. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eJx5gKpa 🗣️ **Let’s Discuss:** How can we sculpt a future where seniors have access to sustainable, community-centric living options without being enveloped in bureaucratic quagmires? 💬🤝 🔗 #HousingCrisis #SeniorLiving #NewYorkHousing #Community #PolicyChange #AlexanderRoithmayr #RocklandCounty #HudsonValleyNY #EdDay

Housing has several features that make it an ideal issue for bipartisanship, said Jake Grumbach, a public policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Housing laws are hyper-local and so don’t get much attention from national parties, which tend to push toward polarization. The subject is full of dense and wonky material that gets litigated through binder-thick planning reports instead of sound bites. It’s also hard to weaponize, since someone’s position on housing can be framed in ways that hew to either party’s ideology. Take, for instance, the YIMBY mantra of allowing taller buildings and reducing the permitting hurdles to build them. Is this, as many Democrats say, a way to create more affordable housing, reduce neighborhood segregation and give low-income households access to high-amenity areas and schools? Or is it, as Republicans say, a pro-business means of reducing regulation and enhancing property rights by giving landowners the freedom to develop housing? Is it, somehow, both?

In our hyper-partisan world, housing remains an issue in which Republicans and Democrats can unite to deliver meaningful reforms to improve the lives of their constituents. The latest example comes from Arizona: "Republicans and Democrats have passed meaningful laws in Arizona to do something we all want: Make housing more affordable." #housing #housingpolicy https://lnkd.in/gU9PpczE