Heartland LLC’s Post

We are making a difference in #Baltimore City by investing in sustainable and affordable housing solutions. WaterBottle is a #workerownedcooperative that purchases, renovates and then rents high quality, affordable housing for residents in West Baltimore. WaterBottle is the parent company to Appalachian Field Services (home renovation and maintenance) and Rising Housing (Property Management). We are a solution to Baltimore City’s vacant housing problem. Vacant housing directly impacts development, crime, and community health.Our mission is to empower under-served communities by providing safe and Eco-friendly housing options while promoting #cooperative community ownership and management. The Baltimore City government owns only 10% of the vacant housing in the city. The rest are privately owned. The city has nearly 15,000 vacant homes and nearly nine out of 10 of them are located in areas with high concentrations of both vacancy and poverty. 8 in 10 vacant properties have been abandoned for decades and are effectively no longer part of the local housing market. These properties are concentrated in East Baltimore, West Baltimore, and Park Heights, where they perpetuate population decline and desperate living conditions. They also cost the city over $200 million dollars every year in mitigation costs and lost revenues.

By stopping homeless housing, abandoning renters, and pursuing bad housing policy, Los Angeles is reinforcing exclusionary zoning and segregation on the Westside.    I connect the dots -- and there a lot of them -- in my latest Substack article. You can read it here. https://lnkd.in/gh8f6niF

This initiative by Governor Gavin Newsom represents a significant step forward in addressing homelessness through innovative housing solutions. As advocates for sustainable living and community building, we are inspired by projects that align with our mission to create spaces where people can live and thrive. The construction of these tiny homes is not just about providing shelter; it's about building a future where everyone has a place to call home. However, having a home is different from merely having a shelter. If we don’t address the root issues—mental health, addiction, and the breakdown of the nuclear family—this project may not make the lasting impact we hope for. We're excited to see which companies will take the lead in this important effort and are hopeful that the focus will remain on quality, sustainability, and the well-being of the residents. It’s not enough to just build shelters; we must build communities. It's exciting to work together on building a better California.

Florida, ranking among the top three most unaffordable states for living, is grappling with a severe affordable housing crisis that mirrors a nationwide trend. Soaring housing costs and household expenses are raising concerns about potential spikes in homelessness across the state. The Pinnacle team is continuously working with our partners to create more affordable housing options for Florida residents. This crisis is showcased by the overwhelming demand for Pinnacle 441, our affordable housing development in Hollywood, where 20,000 Floridians applied to live in just 113 units in Phase I. The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University reports that over a third of U.S. renters are cost-burdened, underscoring the desperate need for solutions. #affordablehousing #privatepublicpartnership #realestate #CREnews #community #development #realestate #workforcehousing #neighbors #houising #southflorida #miamidade #housingnews #affordablehousingnews #workforcehousingnews #news #floridarealestate #marketratehousing #apartmentliving

In Connecticut and across the nation, we're witnessing a troubling trend: individuals who work hard and have steady jobs are finding themselves homeless. Despite their employment, rising rent and living costs are making it impossible for them to maintain a stable home. This situation reflects a larger issue related to affordable housing and economic stability. As rents continue to rise and wages fail to keep pace, many people are left struggling to make ends meet and secure basic housing. It's crucial that we address this growing crisis and work towards solutions that ensure everyone in Connecticut has access to affordable housing. #EndHomelessnessCT https://lnkd.in/e4vQEgrK

The Renters Council of the California Democratic Party has endorsed our campaign! I am honored to receive this endorsement alongside the support of local housing activists: Glenn Kirby, former Alameda County Planning Commissioner; Soli, Vice Chair of the Berkeley Rent Board; Alfred Twu Berkeley Planning Commissioner; and Paola Laverde, former Chair of the Berkeley Rent Board. We need to develop #housing that is actually affordable for working families and doesn’t fuel the displacement of marginalized communities — or ghettoize them. We need to produce more housing of all kinds: mixed-income housing, #supportive housing, and deeply #affordable housing that help create resilient, #diverse, multigenerational communities. And we need to preserve the affordable housing stock we currently have to protect renters from predatory landlords. In the unincorporated areas, it is essential that County leadership expand tenant protections and ensure existing housing policies are followed to preserve community integrity and keep our neighbors from falling into homelessness. Every Alameda County resident deserves safe, healthy, and affordable housing.

Meet the Candidates for Sacramento Mayor: Transportation, Housing, and Safety in Focus! #affordablehousinginSacramento #California #candidatesrunningformayor #mayorofSacramento #publicsafetyinSacramento #transportationissuesinSacramento

Construction begins on Harrington Heights, a 270-Unit Affordable Housing Project in East Village. We've officially broken ground and are ready to go! Developed by Chelsea Investment Corporation near the intersection of Broadway and 13th Street, Harrington Heights will remain affordable for 55 years for households with income up to 50% of the Area Median Income. Some units will serve San Diegans with lower incomes, including individuals earning about $24,000 a year or less, according to the SDHC. “As mayor, I’ve been working to make needed game-changing reforms to our city policies to increase the amount of housing that San Diegans can afford,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement read at the groundbreaking. “In partnership, it’s the home builders who put hammer to nail and do the work on the ground to create the homes that bring stability to people’s lives.” SDHC awarded 115 rental housing vouchers to help Harrington Heights residents pay their rent. Of those, 75 will assist people experiencing homelessness, including 10 set aside specifically for veterans experiencing homelessness. (source: Times of San Diego) #affordablehousing #sandiego #builder #BuildingAtTheHighestLevel

“It’s not really right to call it an increase; it’s targeted rent-gouging which pushes Black and Brown communities out of their homes… This is part of why when we talk about “homelessness” we need to catch ourselves, interrogate how our language can serve to distance from reality, and call it what it is: racialized housing deprivation.” Thank you for these wise words, Jonathan Russell. You’re spot-on. #endhousingdisparities #equitablehousingpolicy

These are sobering numbers as someone who left the Bay Area in 1995. Growing up in Palo Alto I saw how gentrification (a la East Palo Alto) is reverse modern day red-lining. I used to live in Berkeley’s Elmwood. I bought it for under $90K in 1989 and sold for $371K in 2004. It was sold again for $538K in 2014 and $720K in 2020. I imagine it would go for $1M+ now. And this was a nice neighborhood…it seems like the poorer neighborhoods in Berkeley and Oakland had higher increases. Even I couldn’t afford to move back to the Bay Area. Where are the Blue billionaires? If they want to impact swing states create a homestead act to pay housing-insecure voters to move…renting apartments/homes in Red states might be cheaper than wasting ad dollars while getting the same result. If 10000 votes can swing a state election maybe subsidizing $500/month rent for a year for 5000 new residents would cost $30M to control the House, Senate, or White House? #homestead #swingstates #homelessness Anyone leaving the SF Bay Area market will reduce demand and hopefully reduce future rent increases, too.