Welcome to Housing Is, a hub for generating effective programs and sharing innovative ideas.

Sign Up or Sign In
 

Housing Is Working Group 2023-2024 Calendar

Join the Housing Is Working Group to discuss special topics related to cross-sector initiatives and programmatic considerations particularly focused on the intersections of housing, health, and education.

This year’s public webinars cover topics such as the mobility asthma project, trauma-informed approaches to housing, resident-focused racial equity work, out-of-school time, and how FCC grantees are supprting voucher holders.

View Calendar
 

Elements of a Successful Partnership

With generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, CLPHA developed an in-depth report on regional housing-education collaborations taking place at housing authorities across the Pacific-Northwest.

Read the Multimedia Report
 
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Jan 24, 2019
Affordable housing campaigns are not new, of course, but what is unprecedented and transformative about Opportunity Starts at Home is the scope and diversity of the partners that are joining forces to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing policies. The campaign is advised by a Steering Committee including leading national organizations representing a wide range of interests that are working shoulder-to-shoulder to solve the affordable housing crisis.

Authored by: Opportunity Starts at Home
Topics: Asset building, Child welfare, CLPHA, Community development, Early childhood, Education, Food insecurity, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Immigrants, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mobility, Out-of-school time, Partnerships, Racial inequalities, Safety, Seniors, Stability, Substance abuse, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 24, 2019

Within Reach: Ambitious Federal Solutions to Meet the Housing Needs of the Most Vulnerable People

Publication
Jan 24, 2019
Opportunity Starts at Home
Affordable housing campaigns are not new, of course, but what is unprecedented and transformative about Opportunity Starts at Home is the scope and diversity of the partners that are joining forces to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing policies.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 11, 2019
When plans to develop affordable housing units in San Bernadino hit a funding roadblock, Dignity Health committed a $1.2 million bridge loan to help fill the gap. But the health system didn't stop there.

Authored by: Alyia Gaskins for Shelter Force
Topics: Community development, Funding, Health, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 23, 2019
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Jan 10, 2019
Island School is one of 247 “community schools” in New York. These are regular public schools, with a twist. They have longer days and longer school years: Island stays open 12 hours a day, six days a week, including spring and winter breaks as well as the summer. A psychologist makes weekly rounds. A dentist comes by regularly. So does an optometrist, and students who need glasses get them free.

Authored by: David L. Kirk for The New York Times
Topics: Community development, Dual-generation, East Coast, Education, Family engagement, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Metrics, Partnerships, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 10, 2019
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Oct 1, 2016
This report examines strategies used by local governments to address rising housing costs and displacement of low-income households in gentrifying neighborhoods. To assist tenants at risk of displacement, the report details strategies to regulate the landlord/tenant relationship well as strategies to provide assistance for households that move. To create and preserve affordable housing, the report explores ways to use city-owned land and other resources strategically to promote affordable housing in areas where costs are on the rise. It also examines ways to harness the market, such as inclusionary zoning and linkage fees. The report is part of an ongoing series of work by the NYU Furman Center on gentrification, but is the first to provide an overview of policy responses to the effects rapidly rising rents.

Authored by: Jessica Yager, Luke Herrine, and Nadia Mian for NYU Furman Center
Topics: Community development, Housing, Low-income, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 21, 2018
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Mar 28, 2018
Communities can leverage local housing and neighborhood policies to address gun violence through tools such as demolition, vacant property maintenance and reuse, foreclosure mitigation counseling, homeownership support programs, code enforcement, and zoning.

Authored by: Christina Plerhoples Stacy for How Housing Matters
Topics: Community development, Housing, Partnerships, Place-based, Safety
Shared by Housing Is on Dec 20, 2018
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Aug 19, 2018
On the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, there is growing discussion and concern about gentrification. In almost every American city, long-time residents feel increasingly anxious that they will be priced out of their homes and communities, as growing numbers of higher-income, college-educated households opt for downtown neighborhoods. Yet when looking through the lens of fair housing, gentrification also offers a glimmer of hope, as the moves that higher-income, white households make into predominantly minority, lower-income neighborhoods are moves that help to integrate those neighborhoods, at least in the near-term. The key question is whether this integration will last and help to deliver on the promise of the Fair Housing Act to promote and further integrated living. Inverting the famous words of community organizer Saul Alinsky, this integration may only be the time between when the first white moves in and the last family of color moves out.

Authored by: Ingrid Gould Ellen and Gerard Torrats-Espinosa for NYU Furman Center
Topics: Community development, Housing, Low-income, Mobility, Racial inequalities, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 19, 2018
0
0
0
0
Podcast
Community:
Leah Hendey, MPP, Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute, joined the podcast to reflect on her experiences co-directing the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), a nationwide effort to advance the use of neighborhood-level data to drive local decision-making. NNIP is led by the Urban Institute and a network of 32 partners representing local data intermediaries across the country. Hendey discussed the role local data intermediaries play in their communities, explained how neighborhood-level data can be used to understand and address issues of health equity, and shared examples of communities that have successfully used neighborhood information systems in innovative ways to solve pressing public health challenges.

Authored by: All In: Data for Community Health
Topics: Community development, Data sharing, Health, Partnerships, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 17, 2018

Podcast: How Can Neighborhood-Level Data Improve Health and Equity?

Podcast
All In: Data for Community Health
Leah Hendey, MPP, Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute, joined the podcast to reflect on her experiences co-directing the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), a nationwide effort to advance the use of neighborhood-level data to drive local decision-making.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 14, 2018
Opportunity zones are home to approximately 35 million Americans. It is estimated that the opportunity-zone designation could attract $100 billion in private investment in these areas, which would go a long way to spurring economic development and creating jobs.

Authored by: Ben Carson for The New York Times
Topics: Community development, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, Place-based, Racial inequalities, RAD
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 17, 2018

Ben Carson: We won't allow forgotten Americans to be left behind. Here's how.

News Article
Dec 14, 2018
Ben Carson for The New York Times
Opportunity zones are home to approximately 35 million Americans. It is estimated that the opportunity-zone designation could attract $100 billion in private investment in these areas, which would go a long way to spurring economic development and creating jobs.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
President Trump directed federal agencies on Wednesday to steer spending toward certain distressed communities across the country — part of his administration’s push to turn a tax break included in last year’s $1.5 trillion tax package into a broader effort to combat poverty and geographic inequality.

Authored by: Jim Tankersley for The New York Times
Topics: Community development, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018

Trump to Steer More Money to 'Opportunity Zones'

News Article
Dec 12, 2018
Jim Tankersley for The New York Times
President Trump directed federal agencies on Wednesday to steer spending toward certain distressed communities across the country — part of his administration’s push to turn a tax break included in last year’s $1.5 trillion tax package into a broader effort to combat poverty and geographic inequalit
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Nov 14, 2018
This report is intended as a practical tool for those seeking to understand how capital does and does not flow to communities, businesses, and households. This can inform efforts by community developers to identify projects in need of financing, raise capital, and design and market new financial products and services. We provide a concise how-to guide across five approaches to assessing community need, a four-step process to study capital flows, and eleven approaches to determining capital gaps. To help ground this, we provide examples drawing from original data about the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Authored by: Brett Theodos, Eric Hangen, Carl Hedman, and Brady Meixell for Urban Institute
Topics: Asset building, Community development, Midwest, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 6, 2018
Recent research shows that social safety net programs benefit everyone.

Authored by: David L. Kirk for The New York Times
Topics: Asset building, Child welfare, Community development, Food insecurity, Legislation & Policy, Medicaid / Medicare, Racial inequalities, Research, Workforce development
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 6, 2018
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Dec 5, 2018
How does the quality of where we live affect our children’s development? The impact of housing and neighborhood quality on physical health has long been studied in the public health field, but studies that aim to assess those same impacts on mental health are less common. This study examined the relationship between the physical quality of housing and neighborhoods and their interactive effect on the mental health and motivation of children from elementary school through young adulthood.

Authored by: Journal of Environmental Psychology
Topics: Child welfare, Community development, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Racial inequalities, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 6, 2018

How Housing and Neighborhood Quality Affect Children's Mental Health

Research
Dec 5, 2018
Journal of Environmental Psychology
How does the quality of where we live affect our children’s development? The impact of housing and neighborhood quality on physical health has long been studied in the public health field, but studies that aim to assess those same impacts on mental health are less common.
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Nov 15, 2018
In an equitable DC, every resident would have the opportunity to prosper. But decades of discriminatory policies and practices have created inequities by ward, neighborhood, and race and ethnicity. Public, private, and nonprofit interventions have narrowed these gaps, but more needs to be done to level the playing field. This tool shows what it would take to improve equity across wards and neighborhoods on 16 key indicators. Select different areas of the District to compare or set your own goals for equity.

Authored by: The Urban Institute
Topics: Community development, East Coast, Education, Mobility, Place-based, Post-secondary, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 6, 2018
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Nov 28, 2018
Research shows that the racial composition of the public school student population has changed substantially over the past 25 years, but student racial sorting among schools has remained relatively stable. A growing body of research shows that school segregation matters for the educational and socioeconomic outcomes of students of color. To fix it, however, we have to understand why racial segregation has persisted.

Authored by: The Urban Institute
Topics: Community development, Education, Low-income, Racial inequalities, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 6, 2018
0
0
0
0
Podcast
Community:
Why does it seem as if poverty is segregated to certain neighborhoods? What’s the secret to addressing the root of intergenerational poverty? How can we bring in new investment while preserving the history and culture of a place? Join us to explore these questions and more.

Authored by: Purpose Built Communities
Topics: Community development, Education, Health, Housing, Low-income, Mobility, Place-based, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 5, 2018

This is Community Podcast

Podcast
Purpose Built Communities
Why does it seem as if poverty is segregated to certain neighborhoods? What’s the secret to addressing the root of intergenerational poverty? How can we bring in new investment while preserving the history and culture of a place? Join us to explore these questions and more.
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
The 2018 Purpose Built Conference in Orlando, Florida from October 24 – 26 was a tremendous opportunity for thoughtful engagement and energetic conversations with Network Members and attendees from all across the country. Our panel of guest speakers represented a wide range of industries and brought unique perspectives and insights.

Authored by: Purpose Built Communities
Topics: Community development, Education, Health, Housing, Low-income, Mobility, Partnerships, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 5, 2018
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Nov 14, 2018
In collaboration with Project for Public Spaces (PPS), the National Main Street Center (NMSC), and others, the Bass Center will examine the place needs of people and businesses and use that knowledge to help public, private, and civic sectors leaders develop new approaches to creating and supporting concentrations of economic activity that drive inclusive economic growth. The Center is premised on the idea that these “economic districts” represent the geographies in which leaders can have the most transformative impact—where they can build local trust and understanding, experiment safely, show results early and often, and measure impact against a place-centered vision and goals.

Authored by: Jennifer S. Vey for The Brookings Institution
Topics: Community development, Low-income, Mobility, Partnerships, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 5, 2018

Why we need to invest in transformative placemaking

Publication
Nov 14, 2018
Jennifer S. Vey for The Brookings Institution
In collaboration with Project for Public Spaces (PPS), the National Main Street Center (NMSC), and others, the Bass Center will examine the place needs of people and businesses and use that knowledge to help public, private, and civic sectors leaders develop new approaches to creating and supporting
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Dec 5, 2018
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 provides a new incentive—centered around the deferral, reduction, and elimination of capital gains taxes—to spur private investments in low-income areas designated by states as Opportunity Zones. This provision is based heavily on the Investing in Opportunity Act (S. 1639) introduced by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). Given the significant interest among investors, it is possible that this new tax incentive could attract hundreds of billions of dollars in private capital, making this one of the largest economic development initiatives in U.S. history.

Authored by: Bruce Katz and Ken Gross
Topics: Community development, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Mobility, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 5, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Nov 29, 2018
With political divisions on the rise and global cooperation imperiled, city officials worldwide are stepping up to lead, solving local problems while sharing solutions and innovations across borders. Making cities such as New York, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles inclusive, safe, and sustainable is vital to the future of the United States—and the globe. Driven by the need to act locally while thinking globally, a growing number of metro areas are adapting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a blueprint for progress.

Authored by: The Brookings Institution
Topics: Community development, Housing, Partnerships, Place-based, Sustainability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 3, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Nov 30, 2018
The city and county of Durham, GoTriangle and the Durham Housing Authority are committed to enhancing opportunities for existing low-income families as well as to increasing the production of affordable housing. The light-rail project is critical to the success of these goals, and the success of these goals is critical to the light-rail project.

Authored by: Anthony Scott and John Tallmadge for The Herald Sun
Topics: Community development, Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, South, Stability, Transportation
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 3, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Nov 14, 2018
After decades of sprawl and suburban dominance, U.S. cities are experiencing rebounding populations, growing employment, and new public and private sector investments in places that are walkable, transit-oriented, and support diverse people and amenities. But we know that the benefits of these trends are not equally distributed, presenting an urgent opportunity for local and regional leaders to advance place-led development that produces better economic outcomes for more people in more places. To help deliver on that imperative, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings launched the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking (“Bass Center”) with an event on Wednesday, November 14. In collaboration with Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and the National Main Street Center (NMSC), the Bass Center will inspire public, private, and civic sector leaders to make transformative place investments that generate widespread social and economic benefits. Brookings President John Allen, Bass Center Director and Senior Fellow Jennifer Vey, special guest speaker Carol Coletta, and a distinguished panel of experts discussed how market and demographic trends are driving new demands for placemaking that benefit more people and places.

Authored by: The Brookings Institution
Topics: Community development, Housing, Partnerships, Place-based, Safety, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 19, 2018

Transformative placemaking: Expanding opportunities for people and places

Interactive
Nov 14, 2018
The Brookings Institution
After decades of sprawl and suburban dominance, U.S. cities are experiencing rebounding populations, growing employment, and new public and private sector investments in places that are walkable, transit-oriented, and support diverse people and amenities.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Nov 2, 2018
Public health officials have known for decades that where you live greatly influences how long you can live. Residents who live in neighborhoods free of violence with good housing and schools and with close access to quality medical care, food and parks live longer than those who don’t. Now a recently released report — called the United States Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project, or USALEEP — shows in obvious, color-coded terms the range and proximity of that disparity.

Authored by: Christian Hill for The Register-Guard
Topics: Community development, Health, Low-income, Pacific Northwest, Place-based, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 8, 2018

New map shows disparity in life expectancy among Eugene-Springfield neighborhoods

News Article
Nov 2, 2018
Christian Hill for The Register-Guard
Public health officials have known for decades that where you live greatly influences how long you can live. Residents who live in neighborhoods free of violence with good housing and schools and with close access to quality medical care, food and parks live longer than those who don’t.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Sep 24, 2018
The Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (Calif.) developed an innovative community garden to provide access to affordable and fresh food as well as skills training and job opportunities.

Authored by: Ashanti Wright for Journal of Housing & Community Development
Topics: Community development, Food insecurity, Green, Health, Housing, Low-income, Nutrition, Place-based, Sustainability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 30, 2018

The Growing Experience

News Article
Sep 24, 2018
Ashanti Wright for Journal of Housing & Community Development
The Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (Calif.) developed an innovative community garden to provide access to affordable and fresh food as well as skills training and job opportunities.
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Jan 1, 2018
More than 50 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, what would it take to meaningfully reduce residential segregation and/or to mitigate its negative consequences in the United States? In this volume, leading academics, practitioners, and policymakers grapple with this question, examining different aspects of the complex and deeply rooted problem of residential segregation and proposing concrete steps that could achieve meaningful change withing the next ten to fifteen years.

Authored by: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Topics: Community development, Legislation & Policy, Mobility, Place-based, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 25, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Oct 24, 2018
The Opportunity Zone Fund Directory is a list of current Opportunity Zone funding opportunities compiled by the National Coalition of State Housing Agencies staff. This resource provides descriptions and contact information for publicly-announced funds that have been formed for the purpose of attracting investment in Opportunity Zones.

Authored by: National Coalition of State Housing Agencies
Topics: Community development, Legislation & Policy, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 25, 2018