November 05, 2020

Redfin is facing scrutiny after fair housing organizations accused the real estate brokerage of systemic racial discrimination. They say Redfin offers fewer services in minority communities as a result of their minimum price policy, which requires homes to be listed for certain prices to receive Redfin services. An investigation by the National Fair Housing Alliance and nine member organizations found the lack of real estate services caused homes to stay on the market longer and sell for lower prices in overwhelmingly minority neighborhoods compared with majority white neighborhoods.

Unlike traditional nursing homes, which COVID-19 has hit hard, nontraditional nursing home cases are sparse to none. These facilities house elderly people in groups of 8 to 10 in a home-like setting with low patient-to-staff ratios. Despite the healthier approach, the nontraditional model has not gained the interest of private multistate corporations and equity firms that account for the majority of senior living homes. The model also hasn't received financial and regulatory support from state and federal governments.

About 285 public housing residents in Annapolis, Maryland, are at risk of eviction because they owe a combined $512,000 in unpaid rent. The eviction moratorium issued by the housing authority in March expired Monday, and the eviction process could begin “soon,” said Melissa Maddox-Evans, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis. Maddox-Evans added, “We’re in an extremely difficult position because we still have to manage these programs, and we really can’t afford to lose staff, and we don’t want to cut any programs, but we will have to review all of our operations.”

Affordable housing advocates are considering rezoning commercial buildings in the business district of Manhattan, New York, left vacant by the pandemic into neighborhood residential zones. The large-scale transformation could boost economic development, increase opportunities for upward mobility, and upgrade the energy efficiency of older buildings. “The city won’t get its affordable housing count up unless it starts doing some of this work in high-income neighborhoods, too,” stated Paimaan Lodhi, senior vice president of the Real Estate Board of New York.