Housing

Austin will now allow more homes to be built on single-family lots

City officials hope that allowing up to three units per lot will increase supply and slow the explosive increase in housing costs. The measure was approved by Austin City Council in a 9-2 vote late Thursday night.

  • By Joshua Fechter, The Texas Tribune

Maine death certificates don’t track housing status, but other states are starting to

Data on individual's housing status at their time of death can help policymakers better understand and respond to the risks and driving factors of the homelessness crisis.

  • By AnnMarie Hilton, Maine Morning Star

Housing and care costs leave aging Americans with limited options

With adults over 65 already 17% of the U.S. population, communities need to prepare for the growing number of older adults who need both affordable housing and care, experts say.

  • By Molly Bolan

Other cities take note as New York City tells Airbnb: Fuhgeddaboudit

If NYC’s crackdown on short-term rentals succeeds, other places might follow suit.

  • By Robbie Sequeira, Stateline

The housing policies residents want to see

It may seem like housing policies that allow granny flats or multifamily homes on single-family lots are pretty contentious, but a new survey shows that most people support state and local policies that boost housing stock.

  • By Molly Bolan

Where is noise pollution the worst? Redlined neighborhoods.

Nearly all of them are subject to noise levels linked with hearing loss, a study shows.

  • By Kate Yoder, Grist

Why tenants struggle more in the wake of hurricanes

Eviction filings and threats of eviction tend to increase after hurricanes, which experts say could be fueling housing instability and displacement in the wake of disasters.

  • By Siri Chilukuri, Grist

States grapple with racist language in real estate deeds

Some states let homeowners erase language. One state wants to erase its effects.

  • By Robbie Sequeira, Stateline

Without enough housing vouchers, what can cities and states do?

Millions of renters use housing vouchers to help cover housing costs, but millions more are languishing on yearslong waitlists. Experts suggest exploring other subsidies, like tax credits for renters.

  • By Molly Bolan

How the issue of housing and homelessness factored in state and local elections

It impacted mayoral races, and landed on the ballot as communities debated the merits of homeless encampment sweeps, tax hikes and affordable housing developments.

  • By Molly Bolan

A dispute over Amtrak funding derailed a vote on THUD

The House GOP’s Transportation and Housing and Urban Development funding bill would cut $8 billion from the departments. But that’s not what scuttled the vote.

  • By Kery Murakami

Statewide housing programs can be complex. A good website can help.

As Colorado embarks on an aggressive program to build affordable housing, the state is turning to a website to engage and involve residents as the projects unfold.

  • By Molly Bolan
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Western states look to these lands for new affordable housing

State-owned trust lands were created to support schools and other community benefits.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

The Biden administration looks to spur office-to-housing conversions

The White House launched a multi-agency effort to encourage states and cities to convert more empty office buildings into housing units. It is putting billions of federal dollars behind the announcement.

  • By Molly Bolan

Communities look to end prison-to-homelessness pipeline

Incarceration and homelessness are inextricably linked, each cycling into the other. As the housing crisis drags on, state and local governments are looking to prevent former inmates from becoming homeless in the first place.

  • By Molly Bolan

County tests feasibility of 3D-printed affordable housing

Santa Barbara County is using a state grant to 3D-print an affordable home in what it hopes will be a demonstration project other communities can learn from.

  • By Molly Bolan

How one city is streamlining housing construction

San Francisco is required by state law to build 82,000 housing units by 2031, but it won’t even come close if the city maintains its current pace. Mayor London Breed hopes that reducing fees and red tape will spur more development.

  • By Molly Bolan

Environment, immigrant groups say state needs to prepare for likely climate migration

The development of affordable housing stock and denser, walkable communities could help states like Maine prepare for migrants looking to move to more climate resilient areas.

  • By Evan Popp, Maine Morning Star

Why support for local public health leaders is higher than you think

COMMENTARY | Health departments fight for policies that make it easier for all people to live their healthiest lives: safe schools and communities, livable wages, affordable housing and healthy food.

  • By Chrissie Juliano

By the numbers: How pandemic relief expanded affordable housing

The American Rescue Plan Act helped keep millions housed during the pandemic and created long-term affordable options. A new report digs into the numbers behind the initiatives.

  • By Molly Bolan

How one city added hundreds of new homes amid an affordable housing crunch

In Missoula, Montana, the city and county government donated land to support the development of three new affordable apartment sites. About 1,000 people, including those who were previously homeless, have signed the interest list for units, one official says.

  • By Keila Szpaller, Daily Montanan