Articles by Pramod Sukumaran

6 Emerging Ways Cities Can Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis

March 29, 2019

Demand for affordable housing is high, but supply is down in many U.S. cities. More than 11 million renters and 8 million homeowners spend more than half their income on housing; this results in extreme cost burdens and jeopardizes individual health, according to a Salud America! research review. “A lack of federal action and cash-strapped state and local budgets have contributed to the affordable housing crisis,” writes Teresa Wiltz for Pew Trusts. “Citizens are showing up at town halls and city council meetings demanding action.” Cities must find a way to boost affordable housing, but how can they make a difference? Here are six solutions to help improve affordable housing: 1. Create Affordable Housing Trusts. Housing trust funds are established, ongoing, and ...

How Big Tech Is Fueling the Affordable Housing Crisis (and Trying to Fix It)

March 15, 2019

facebook California housing crisis big tech san francisco (via New York Times)

Big Tech helps drive the economy. It also influences where and how people live. In fact, the biggest tech companies like Facebook are increasingly diving into housing policy. They're starting housing projects and investing in philanthropic affordable housing projects. This creates quite the contrast, Ankita Rao recently wrote for Vice. "On one hand, tech companies have helped fuel the housing crisis—sprawling across cities that are bursting at the seams with little investment in public infrastructure, and avoiding taxes that might help the poor and homeless at virtually every turn," Rao wrote. "On the other, they're positioning themselves as postmodern Robin Hoods, announcing plans to build apartments for rent and subsidize others" that look like "company towns." How Big ...

Oregon OKs Approves 1st Statewide Rent Control Policy in the U.S.

March 8, 2019

Hand Holding eviction notice in envelope

Oregon state leaders recently gave its renting residents greater peace of mind when it comes to housing security. The 13.1% Latino state became the first in the nation to pass a statewide rent control policy. It also makes it harder for landlords to evict tenants without reason. “This bill is a critical tool for stabilizing the rental market throughout the state of Oregon,” said Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, according to The Oregonian. "It will provide immediate relief to renters struggling to keep up with the rising rents in a tight rental market.” Policy Specifics Landlords across the state now can raise rent no more than 7% per year, plus the annual change in the consumer price index. However, the law does exempt rental properties that are less than 15 years ...

Will New Affordable Housing Units Help Latinos in Boston?

March 1, 2019

affordable housing boston via Jesse Costa/WBUR

Close to 40% of Americans struggle to meet rising costs of housing, and Latinos face hardship in affording at least one basic need. To tackle a "housing crisis" in Boston (19.4% Latino), the city’s Mayor, Marty Walsh, announced $26 million in funding for affordable housing units, MassLive reports. Their plan? To convert previously used apartment buildings into income-restricted units available for low-income families. "We have no problem building high end housing in Boston. It is pretty easy and we see it every day," Walsh said in a press conference earlier this week. "The question is how can we make sure we can have it affordable and built in our city and targeted correctly." Boston's New Affordable Housing Plans Boston's ongoing growth, especially among Latinos, is ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/5: The Sleep Crisis & Latino Health

February 26, 2019

Are you getting enough sleep? The United States is facing a sleep crisis. Lack of sleep can contribute to heart attacks, diabetes, and other serious health issues that affect Latinos more, says the CDC. It can also affect mood and memory. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, to tweet about the sleep crisis in the United States, the importance of sleep for disease prevention, and ways to improve sleep for Latino and all people. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The Sleep Crisis & Latino Health” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, March 5, 2019 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: Diverse Elders (@DiverseElders), The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (@AASMorg),Hamilton Community Health Network ...

Housing Quality Is Important for Mental Health

February 22, 2019

Quality housing can make a surprisingly big difference for your physical and mental health. A new study from the United Kingdom links housing tenure, type, cost burden, and desire to stay in current home to C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker in the bloodstream associated with infection and stress. Higher levels of CRP—meaning more stress and bad health—were found in people who rented homes. "The poorer health of private renters in our study may reflect the average lower quality of homes in the sector," wrote Drs. Amy Clair and Amanda Hughes, the study authors, in an article in The Conversation. "Private rented homes, for example, are more likely to have damp than social rented or owner occupied homes, and less likely to have central heating." Housing Cost Burden & ...

Latinos Power the U.S. Economy to a Better Future

February 15, 2019

Don't think Latinos add much to the U.S. economy? Think again. If U.S. Latinos were their own nation, they would have the world's seventh-largest gross domestic product (GDP), at $2.13 trillion, according to a report by the Latino Donor Collaborative. That is a higher GDP than India, Brazil, and Italy. This means American Latinos are driving growth of the U.S. workforce and economy. This is contrary to political and popular rhetoric about Latinos, which hurts Latinos. The Latino GDP is growing 70% faster than the U.S. GDP. "If these rates are sustained, Latinos will contribute nearly one quarter of all U.S. GDP growth between 2019 and 2020," according to NGL Collective on the Latino Donor Collaborative report. How Latinos Impact the Economy By 2020, U.S. Latino purchasing ...

How a Children’s Museum Morphed into a Latino Community Hub

February 8, 2019

Steve Long knows the mission of the Children's Museum of the East End is to spark imagination, play, and learning for all children in Bridgehampton, N.Y. (21% Latino). But the museum has risen to a new level under Long's leadership as executive director. It has become a Latino community hub. Long and the museum leaders host an afterschool science program for Spanish-speaking students. They partnered to host "safe space" workshops for Latino immigrants. They helped start an eight-week music program to enhance Spanish-speakers' literacy skills. They even added a mini-golf course with science-based facts in English and Spanish. "[The museum] is having a lifelong impact on the development of Latino children and their families through these programs," Long said. The ...

The Epic Revitalization of a Latino Neighborhood from Housing to Social Change

January 25, 2019

Editor's Note: main photo above is of Esperanza Academy Charter School's mural via facebook.com/Esperanzausa and whyy.org.

Roberto Clemente Middle School shut its doors in 1994 and sat empty for more than 10 years years in Philadelphia's Hunting Park, a predominantly Latino neighborhood. Not anymore. Local faith-based nonprofit Esperanza has turned the former school into 38 affordable housing units, which opened November 2018, Plan Philly reports. The site also has 5,000 square feet of commercial space. “It will now once again become a community asset, providing quality, affordable housing to Hunting Park residents,” said David Ortiz, Esperanza’s vice president of housing and economic development. But the school-turned-affordable-housing project is just one part of Esperanza's neighborhood revitalization plans. Esperanza's Revitalization of Hunting Park Hunting Park has higher poverty ...

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Pramod Sukumaran

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