Housing Crisis

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California Houses

California Unions Voice Strong Opposition to Housing Bills

Trades groups demanded provisions in housing bills that ultimately will stymie the construction of much-needed affordable housing in the state.

August 31, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

South Los Angeles

South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill

L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to SB 1120, calling the bill an attack on the residential integrity throughout the state of California.

August 24, 2020 - The Planning Report

Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding

New Housing Fund Launched in New Orleans

A new housing relief fund has been launched in New Orleans to help low-income residents deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

August 24, 2020 - NOLA.com

Maricopa County, Arizona

When Affordable for the County Isn't Affordable for the Neighborhood

A critical question arises in response to an affordable housing project proposed in Phoenix: When measuring a project's affordability, does the larger county's median income matter when some neighborhoods are struggling well beyond that measure?

August 11, 2020 - Arizona Republic

Los Angeles County Sprawl

Inclusionary Zoning Adopted in L.A. County

The county of Los Angeles is looking for policy tools that will add affordable housing units to the housing market. Inclusionary zoning is its policy of choice.

August 10, 2020 - Urbanize.LA

Tassafaronga Village Oakland California

Affordable Housing Production Grinds to a Halt During Pandemic

Just when the nation needs a functional market for affordable housing, the industry that builds affordable housing supply has stopped functioning, like to many other parts of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 5, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Housing crisis

What Happens if 23 Million Renters Are Evicted?

Shelterforce spoke with researchers, advocates, lawyers, housing economists, and rental housing industry representatives to understand what that crisis would do to evicted families, public health, and the housing market.

July 30, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Stockton Foreclosure

August Expiration Date for Federal Foreclosure Moratorium Raises Concerns

The housing market has yet to devolve like in 2008, thanks to a federal safety net put in place in March, but a wave of foreclosures is still a possibility as protections begin to expire.

July 28, 2020 - Curbed

Coronavirus

Federal Eviction Moratorium Expires This Week

The day that renters relying on public support to pay the bills have been dreading since March arrives tomorrow.

July 23, 2020 - The Washington Post

Freeway Underpass Encampment

The Onion Has a Blistering Take on Congress' Idea of a Social Safety Net

The latest foray by The Onion into the world of planning satirizes the American tendency to prioritize highway spending over housing and the homeless.

July 17, 2020 - The Onion

Down Payment

U.S. Mortgage Delinquencies Spike

The popularity of the mortgage forbearance program enabled by the CARES Act is one reason not to fear a housing crash like the Great Recession, yet.

July 15, 2020 - The Washington Post

San Francisco Parklet

How Local Planners Can Lead a Proactive, Aggressive Response to the Pandemic

The novel coronavirus has so far preyed on the most vulnerable in cities, as a result of the planning failures of the previous century. Planners today can take steps to reverse that reality, if they reclaim their historic role.

July 8, 2020 - Democracy

Basement Apartment

Boston's Deeply Discriminatory Rental Market Ignores Black Renters

A new study documents staggering racial bais in the Boston rental market and compares the racial disparities among prospective tenants seeking housing in 2018 and 2019.

July 7, 2020 - The Boston Globe

Riverside, California

COVID-19, YIMBY, and PHIMBY

How will COVID-19 and its economic consequences affect housing supply?

July 6, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

Moms 4 Housing

As Moratoriums Start to Lift, Preparing for an Eviction Wave

Tenant organizers and legal services groups are working vigorously to get ahead of eviction cases as housing court processes restart.

July 3, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Love

Mapping Eviction Risk

Millions of renters are at risk of eviction as federal support runs out and the economic realities of the pandemic take hold.

July 2, 2020 - FastCompany

Los Angeles Apartments

Landlords in L.A. Attempt to Illegally Remove Tenants Who Can't Pay Rent

Some landlords in the Los Angles area aren't adhering to eviction moratoriums. In the midst of enormous financial strain, they are employing illegal tactics to forcibly remove tenants.

June 26, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus

The Eviction Crisis Is Already Here

Without rent relief from Congress, the recent wave of evictions could become a tsunami, according to housing advocates.

June 25, 2020 - Diane Yentel via Twitter

San Francisco

More Housing Could Increase Affordability If You Build It in the Right Places

Focusing on zoning in hot-market urban centers misses economic realities—and major opportunities.

June 25, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Federal Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium Extended Until the End of August

Breaking news: a federal moratorium on evictions and foreclosures of single-family mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be extended until at least the end of August. The moratorium had been set to expire at the end of June.

June 17, 2020 - Federal Housing Finance Agency

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