October 27, 2022

Three real estate firms agreed to pay DC a $10 million settlement for allegedly denying access to rentals and imposing illegal requirements on applicants with low incomes. It marks the largest civil penalty in a housing discrimination case in US history. “This discrimination has perpetuated Jim Crow racism that pushes Black and Brown families out of certain areas of the District of Columbia,” said DC Attorney General Karl A. Racine.

Asheville took a creative approach to boosting affordable housing despite the state’s inclusionary zoning ban—and it could work in other cities. A few years ago, Asheville temporarily paused all hotel construction. When they reinstated it, they established a new hotel overlay district. To build hotels there, developers would have to earn points to aid affordable housing, such as by donating to the city’s affordable housing fund and agreeing to pay higher wages.

Twin Cities housing developers added 22,327 housing units in 2021, according to a new report by the Met Council, marking the most built since 1987. Sixty-one percent of these units were in multifamily buildings, helping to solve a significant housing shortage. However, only 10 percent of new housing is affordable.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the greater Richmond area nearly $4.5 million to address youth homelessness. Kelly King Horne, executive director of housing advocacy nonprofit Homeward, says the funding comes at a crucial time. “I have been at Homeward for 19 years, and this is one of the most challenging housing markets we have ever seen. So, vacancies are going down and rents are going up, and we haven’t added to the stock of deeply affordable housing.” HUD officials say funds will go toward projects like youth housing navigators, transitional and rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing.