December 22, 2022

The Biden administration recently released a plan that aims to reduce homelessness by 25 percent in the next two years. According to the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, more than 1.2 million people experienced “sheltered homelessness” in 2020. “Every American deserves a safe and reliable place to call home,” said President Biden. “It’s a matter of security, stability, and well-being. It is also a matter of basic dignity and who we are as a Nation.”

A recent survey found that 85 percent of Americans supported building homeless shelters somewhere in the US. However, support dropped to 65 percent when they were asked about building shelters in their own neighborhoods. This inconsistency is fueled by misconceptions and stigmas that affordable housing raises crime rates. “Even the term ‘affordable housing’ comes out of an effort to make people more comfortable,” said Shomon Shamsuddin, a professor of social policy at Tufts University. “‘Low-income housing’ has certain [negative] connotations.”

A recent report from the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana found many Indianapolis neighborhoods are experiencing signs of gentrification. Neighborhoods just outside downtown Indianapolis are seeing more white buyers and those with higher incomes move in, while Black homeownership rates drop and foreclosure rates in communities of color climb.

A Seattle family is suing the city over its Mandatory Housing Affordability policy, which could charge them more than $75,000 in permitting fees to build on their property. The policy allows developers to build taller and larger buildings, and in return, they must either build affordable units or pay fees toward affordable housing to get permits in those neighborhoods. Though the program has raised significant funds, the Adams family argues it hurts families like them, who wanted to build on their existing lot to house their children and aging parents.