News Roundup

  • How Did the Election Affect Housing?
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    During last week’s election, voters across the country weighed in on ballot measures affecting housing, transportation, and other urban issues. A common theme was strong support for local spending on affordable housing. Denver voters approved a sales-tax increase to fund new housing and services for people experiencing homelessness, Raleigh voters supported an $80 million housing bond, Atlanta voters approved a $30,000 tax exemption for homes owned by community land trusts, and voters in Portland, Maine, approved an initiative focused on affordable housing and energy efficiency in residential buildings.
  • Public Housing Officials Blame Substandard Inspection Scores on Lack of Funding
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    Several public housing complexes in Hampton Roads, Virginia, received substandard and failing scores on recent US Department of Housing and Urban Development inspections. Local housing officials blame shortfalls in federal funding for maintenance that reflects a larger, national backlog of capital needs and a multibillion-dollar deficit in federal funding. The Richmond housing authority is seeking grant funding to help renovate and replace buildings.

  • Proposed Permanent Supportive Housing under Scrutiny by Nearby Residents
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    Marin County, California, leaders want to convert a 70-room hotel into permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, but they are facing intense negotiations. Nearby residents are frustrated they’ve been left out of the process. They say they aren’t part of the “not in my backyard” movement, they just wanted an opportunity to fully discuss the hotel’s effect on the neighborhood. The hotel is part of Project Homekey, which uses federal COVID-19 relief dollars to buy and convert California hotels. “My experience is when residents get a seat at the table you end up with a better solution,” stated Novato councilwoman Susan Wernick.

  • New Evidence Shows NYCHA Smoking Ban Hasn’t Reduced Resident Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
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    A new study conducted by New York University Grossman School of Medicine researchers shows the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) smoking ban, implemented one year ago, has not reduced public housing tenants’ exposure to secondhand smoke. “Our findings show that more intensive efforts to support and enforce NYCHA’s smoke-free housing policy are needed to really change resident smoking behaviors,” says study lead author Lorna E. Thorpe.