General News

In a new paper, Michael Stegman with the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studiers (JCHS) argues that “eliminating exclusionary land use regulations should be the civil rights issue of our time.” Stegman looks back at five presidential commissions and federal initiatives to eliminate local barriers to housing development, put in motion by both Democratic and Republican administrations, arguing that each was based on the proposition that unnecessary land use regulations drive up production costs and drive down housing supply.

The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) board approved a $486 million funding package that will support a range of projects, including a 326-unit apartment building with half the units reserved for renters earning up to 50 percent of the area median income (AMI), a 252-unit complex entirely reserved for residents earning up to 50 percent […]

The San Jose City Council is set to adopt a new Housing Payment Equity Ordinance that prohibits the discrimination of income sources. The ordinance will cover all rentals—including single-family homes, duplexes, multifamily units, co-living spaces, accessory dwelling units, guest houses and mobile homes—with one exception: rooms in single-family homes where the landlord lives in the house, too.

The Our Homes Our Votes 2020 campaign is circulating an organizational sign-on letter urging ABC, Univison and the next debate moderators to ask candidates about housing solutions in the September Democratic presidential primary debates. The letter specifically calls on the debate moderators to ask each presidential candidate how they would address the nation’s housing and […]

This How Housing Matters article explains how energy efficiency upgrades can boost low-income multifamily properties’ net operating incomes, save low-income households money on energy bills and improve environmental outcomes—making investments in these upgrades a triple win. This evidence roundup highlights why policymakers and funders should continue to push housing providers, utility companies and intermediary organizations to bolster their efforts to bring energy efficiency upgrades to both subsidized and unsubsidized multifamily rental housing.

A new report from the Center for American Progress urges lawmakers to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis when tackling climate change in order to build more resilient and prepared communities. These actions include supporting equitable evacuation and disaster recovery for all survivors; expanding investments in federal rental and homeless assistance programs; prioritizing equitable housing policies and just community development; building resilient infrastructure; and increasing funding for disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation.

The Urban Institute has released a report titled “Affordable Housing Investment: A Guide for Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems.”. The report presents key concepts and strategies for designing and implementing housing development projects, complemented by examples and supplemental resources.

Last week, the Portland City Council and Mayor approved an annual $60 per unit fee for landlords to fund the city’s Rental Services Office, which maintains a registry of rental units, enforces fair-housing laws and mediates landlord-tenant disputes. The fee is expected to generate $3.9 million annually and will facilitate the collection of data that can better inform the city’s housing policy. Housing

This Los Angeles Times article explores the role that California cities and counties play in perpetuating the state’s affordable housing crisis. The Residential Impact Fees in California Study from the Terner Center found that overly burdensome fee programs can limit growth by impeding or disincentivizing new residential development, facilitate exclusion and increase housing costs across the state.

Three more 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Governor Jay Inslee, Former Governor John Hickenlooper and Senator Bernie Sanders, have released housing plans. The three new candidates join the ranks of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) who have already released housing plans.

The Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) of Harvard University released a new paper GSE Reform: None or Mostly Done? Author Don Layton argue that while Congress has yet to pass comprehensive reform of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), almost all of the major flaws of the pre-conservatorship GSEs have been successfully addressed while the companies have been in conservatorship.

The California State Senate passed SB 329, which would expand the California Fair Employment and Housing Act’s protections to add federal, state and local public assistance and housing subsidies—including Housing Vouchers—to the Act’s source of income protections