The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on housing and homelessness. City and state leaders know this. Many are implementing policies and creating unique affordable housing conversion projects that aim to make progress in solving this problem. One such piece of legislation, the "Housing Our Neighbors With Dignity Act," from New York, will enable the state to buy office buildings and hotels that have been struggling during the pandemic and turn them into affordable housing. “The housing problem in our cities has gotten worse. But, the crisis of growing vacancies in our commercial property provides an opportunity,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a recent speech. “We should convert vacant commercial space to supportive and affordable housing and we should do ...
The coronavirus pandemic is worsening minority health and the nation’s sizable affordable housing shortage. When we think of health assets, many of us think about healthcare, education, and safe transportation to access healthy food and physical activity. But affordable housing is an essential component of public health infrastructure, and important factor in an equitable pandemic response. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, to tweet about the latest research about the critical role of affordable housing in the COVID-19 response! WHAT: #SaludTues: The Critical Role of Affordable Housing in the COVID-19 Response
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: ...
The coronavirus pandemic has had an overwhelming impact on many, and now the COVID-19 crisis also stands to exacerbate the nation’s sizable affordable housing shortage. With more people losing jobs and suffering other hardships—especially those in communities of color—the question of housing will play a larger role in the overall impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. This is more of a fundamental issue than some might think, according to Roger K. Lewis, a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland, “Most of us think about roads, bridges, transit systems, and public utilities, along with education and health care," Lewis, writes in a recent Op-Ed in the Washington Post. “But affordable housing is an essential component of infrastructure; an investment ...
Housing and transportation are two key ingredients for health equity. In a good combination, people easily find affordable housing near schools, jobs, groceries, and healthcare. In a bad combination, people struggle to find affordable housing near essential destinations and transportation options. They have to rely on expensive vehicle ownership or infrequent transit with unsafe streets and no sidewalks or bike lanes. Which does your neighborhood have? City leaders probably don’t know. So they aren’t able to invest in a meaningful mix of affordable housing and transportation. Residents can’t find a good combination, either. LINK Houston is trying to change that. The advocates’ report, Where Affordable Housing and Transportation Meet in Houston, helps city and ...
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting health equity in many ways, including homelessness, evictions, and affordable housing options. Low-income workers, the uninsured, those with unstable housing, and immigrant communities will bear the brunt of this crisis. Many U.S. cities were dealing with a homelessness crisis long before this outbreak. Now, the escalating pandemic has created a catastrophe threatening thousands of lives.
Affordable Housing Crisis during COVID-19
Millions of Americans face housing cost burdens. Over half a million sleep on the streets any given night, according to a recent report. Worse, countless people and families pay more than they can afford to keep a roof over their heads every month. The coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency that will ...
The number of children living in single-parent households has grown significantly over the past 50 years. In fact, it has actually doubled — jumping from 13% to 32% in 2017, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of US Census Bureau data. High cost-of-living, including necessities such as food and transportation, can significantly impact single parents. Worse, it can prohibit their ability to break cycles of poverty or build substantial wealth.
Single Latino Parents
In the US, there about half of each sing-parent race group are white, roughly 15% are Black, about one-fourth are Latino/Hispanic, and a small share are Asian. "These gaps are driven largely by racial differences among the large share of solo parents who are mothers," Gretchen Livingston with PEW ...
Throughout the modern era, single-family zoning and redlining practices institutionalized economic as well as racial segregation in America. Although redlining is now illegal, single-family zoning—which still occurs to this day—reinforces both racial and economic segregation. Moreover, it contributes to the racial wealth gap seen across the country. "The practice of zoning most residential land exclusively for single-family detached homes is a major cause of affordable housing shortages and long commute times," Eric Kober, an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and former director of housing, economic, and infrastructure planning at the New York City Department of City Planning, writes in a recent CNN Business editorial. "In expensive cities, this policy makes it ...
Dallas families needs 20,000 affordable housing apartment or single-family units. That kind of housing shortfall, which can make it hard for Latino and other low-income families to afford health care and other health-promoting assets, requires action from city leaders in a variety of ways. Enter the Dallas Land Bank Program. The program, halted two years ago, is back to provide "lots to builders in underdeveloped parts of town to boost the amount of housing for low to middle-income families," according to Reform Austin. "This is really a great way for the city to take unproductive land, put it back into production, and create affordable housing with this program all at one time," David Drury, manager of the Dallas Land Bank Program, told cbsdfw.com.
How the Dallas Land Bank ...
In recent years, housing affordability in the U.S has emerged as a key issue that increasingly affects low-income households and millions of middle-class renters. People across age demographics' ideals concerning housing are shifting — hoping to find an urban experience. This movement is in contrast with the suburban American dream of the past. However, rental rates are rising and wages are stagnating, which is causing neighborhoods to struggle and putting pressure on the housing development industry. In the coming years, much of the increase in both population and in households will be among precisely those groups that today are being left behind in homeownership growth. Our older and historic neighborhoods now have a new mission to provide homes for the young, for new ...
