Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 737 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Why Singapore Has One of the Highest Home Ownership Rates

    Affordable housing in Singapore has resulted in one of the highest rates of home ownership in the world. In 1964 the government embraced a "Home Ownership for the People Scheme" in which it gave lower and middle-income citizens access to affordable home ownership. Subsidized apartments were sold at low prices and were not to be sold for at least five years after which the real estate value had risen significantly. Apartments sold in 2009, for example, gained almost half a million dollars in value by 2020. New subsidized apartments are under construction and 16,000 have already been sold in the past year.

    Read More

  • This New York Program Is Getting Ahead of Homelessness

    A program that aims to help New Yorkers who are at risk of losing their homes has proven effective in keeping people housed. Studies have shown that it is difficult to transition out of homelessness so its goal is to prevent it entirely. The group operates in all five boroughs of NYC and has helped almost 30,000 people on its budget of $53 million. The program provides both cash and services: money for rent, utilities, legal aid to fight evictions and settle landlord disputes, in addition to job training.

    Read More

  • The housing policy that's turning back gentrification

    A "right-to-purchase" policy has enabled nonprofits to purchase residential buildings in gentrified neighborhoods in order to prevent the displacement of those relying on rent-controlled housing. Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) is a Bay Area nonprofit leading the cause to counter gentrification and prevent developers from purchasing residential buildings that house low and moderate-income households. MEDA has purchased and managed 32 buildings and is one of fewer than 10 nonprofits in the area that exercise the "right-to-purchase" policy.

    Read More

  • To reach vulnerable populations, Berkeley goes on the road to offer COVID-19 testing

    City officials in Berkeley have recently implemented a mobile testing site for Covid-19 to better reach vulnerable populations throughout the region. Although the physical testing site will remain as the central point for testing, the mobile option has helped test those in senior homes and nursing facilities, as well as their caretakers.

    Read More

  • For Survivors of Violence and Their Kids, a Push to Prioritize Housing

    Since 2016, California's Domestic Violence Housing First program has grown to 65 organizations that give victims the financial help they need to stay housed after leaving an abusive spouse. Financial and housing instability are major reasons victims stay with their abusers, and domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness. The program spends more than $20 million per year, or an average of $3,000 per victim, to help them and their children with rent, moving costs, utilities, and other needs. Typical domestic violence shelters usually lack the resources to help victims move to permanent housing.

    Read More

  • Helping Tenants and Landlords Resolve Issues — Before Going to Court

    The city of Philadelphia piloted a mediation program that showed how landlord-tenant disputes could be resolved short of an eviction lawsuit. Though the program only lasted two months and heard just a handful of cases, it demonstrated that landlords will participate voluntarily in a system that can equalize a power imbalance and resolve disputes in ways that prove less damaging to both parties. Demand for the mediation program could ramp up if an expected wave of evictions hits because of the pandemic's effects on the economy.

    Read More

  • How Louisiana cities are using the CARES Act to save small businesses, keep people in homes

    The Cares Act is a federal program providing $46.6 million dollars of emergency aid which cities in Louisiana are spending on a combination of a mortgage and rent relief or on the needs of small businesses. For most cities throughout the state, the first priority is keeping residents in their homes as the stay on evictions approaches, at which point landlords will expect rent as well as backpay. Louisiana faces the triple threat of a pandemic, the economic fallout from it, and a series of tornados. Keeping people in their homes has been the foremost priority to stop the spread of the virus.

    Read More

  • Co-Op City Succeeds With Census While Much of NYC Struggles. What's Its Secret?

    In New York City, where the average census response rate is only 49 percent, the city's largest co-operative housing complex achieved over a 70 percent response rate, well above the 40 percent rate typical in the co-op's neighborhood of the Bronx. Co-op City, as it is known, has a strong sense of community and promoted the census through its internal TV station, robo-calls, and community newspaper.

    Read More

  • Louisiana cities are doing what they can to both save small businesses and keep people in their homes

    Several large cities in Lousiana used federal funds for small businesses and housing. Cities like Monroe, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans balanced the needs of small businesses with the needs of families who were provided rent and mortgage assistance. Fayette, however, is opting to focus almost entirely on small businesses. Most cities are prioritizing the need to keep residents in their homes to stop the spread of coronavirus.

    Read More

  • Hoping for Federal Help, Cities Experiment with Rental Assistance

    Many U.S. cities have responded to Covid-19 related layoffs by using a portion of the CARES Act funds to create local rent assistance programs that keep renters in homes and landlords generating income. For example, Dallas used $13.7 million from the CARES Act for a rent assistance program and within 26 hours they had 25,000 applicants, with about 10,000 meeting requirements and funds likely going to just 1,000 renters. States and cities do not have enough money to meet the demand for rent assistance and are urging the Federal Government to pass a recently introduced bill that will provide more funding.

    Read More