Housing News Roundup: July 9, 2015
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The SF Bay Area Scouts Sites for Affordable Housing
San Francisco is on track to construct a 90,947-square-foot, seven-story affordable housing development that could include approximately 72 family-sized apartments. While its board of supervisors has yet to approve the purchase, the city has been working to acquire land for the project. The city’s Mission District has been experiencing a crisis in affordable housing in recent years. If the deal is approved, the Mayor’s Office will issue an RFP for developers to start developing affordable housing that targets families of three earning up to $55,000, or families of four earning $61,150.
00Source: The San Francisco Chronicle
Things Are Still Bad After Katrina
Roughly 70% of New Orleans’ housing stock was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. The city’s rental housing took an especially large hit. Researchers at Tulane University have found that the majority of the city’s low-income housing residents are still living in poor conditions, despite storm recovery efforts. To help curb the situation, HUD has issued housing vouchers to help residents in need pay for homes. However, experts at Tulane argue that these vouchers have not helped many of the city’s neediest residents.
00Source: CityLab
Landlords Can Be Penalized for Fighting Against Fair Housing
It turns out that landlords can be penalized if they discourage people from participating in a housing discrimination investigation against them, even if they believe the claim against them to be false. Doing so can be seen as a retaliatory effort to block someone from accessing their rights under fair housing laws. A tenant bringing the complaint, as well as anyone else discouraged from participating in an investigation, may file a retaliation claim against a property owner. Anky van Deursen, director of Dispute Resolution Programs for Project Sentinel, advises all landlords to be fully compliant with housing discrimination investigations so as to not be penalized.
00Source: The Los Angeles Times
Food Trucks Creating New Promise in Boston
Quincy Heights, known for it’s low-income housing development, has added something new to the mix: food trucks and an entrepreneurial spirit. Hailing the project as a model of success for other cities, HUD Secretary Julian Castro notes that this project was part of HUD’s Choice Neighborhood program. As part of the program, Boston receives grants to invest in areas that need affordable housing assistance.
00Source: NextCity
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