January 04, 2024

As mobile home residents face rising housing costs and delayed vital upgrades to their infrastructure, some mobile homeowners are forming resident-owned cooperatives (ROCs) to collectively buy the land under their homes. By owning the land, residents can more swiftly upgrade infrastructure, particularly with renewable energy like solar panels, which are well suited to mobile homes. Nonprofits like ROCUSA provide essential resources to facilitate climate-friendly initiatives.

Hennepin County, Minnesota, has achieved a remarkable 36 percent reduction in its population experiencing chronic homelessness in just two years. Using a housing-first approach, community engagement, and increased funding, the county moved more than 1,500 residents experiencing homelessness into permanent housing, such as single-room occupancy units and group homes. The county’s innovative strategies, including personalized interventions and daily tracking through a “by-name” list offer valuable lessons for addressing homelessness.

New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development is launching the Mixed Income Marketing Initiative to boost affordable housing. Developers will receive incentives, including tax breaks, in exchange for designating 70 percent of units for affordable housing, with rent restrictions based on tenant income. The remaining 30 percent can be market rate, and 15 percent of the units must be reserved for people leaving city homeless shelters. The program has high-priority areas where affordable units lag.

In 2023, Maine passed a groundbreaking housing law that required municipalities to adopt standards around affordable housing and permitted additional density for accessory dwelling units and affordable housing developments in a community’s “growth” areas. The law has inspired two cities to surpass its mandates, as Ellsworth and Portland embrace transformative land-use changes. Going beyond the requirements of L.D. 2003, both municipalities are allowing more housing units on single-family lots. This proactive approach addresses housing challenges, promotes density, and sets a precedent for innovative solutions to ease shortages.