Podcasts about national low income housing coalition

What stories have we heard, and beliefs have we internalized, to explain the crisis level numbers of Americans who are on the brink of losing their housing or are already experiencing homelessness? Do we blame the individuals? Is the problem intractable? Years of study illuminates the facts: we have a profound dual problem of affordability and supply. Our federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is responsible for a wage to rent disparity that causes extremely low income Americans to pay more than half of their income on rent. And a shortage of 7.1 million affordable housing units makes it inevitable that 77,000 Americans have no home at all. That data and more is captured in seminal reports produced by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which has been at the forefront of tenant-led policy advocacy for decades. On this episode of Power Station, Renee Willis, the Coalition's exceptional new President and CEO shares the life experience that guides her leadership in this most challenging of times. As she says, when we talk about policy we are really talking about people. The Coalition knows the true story of housing in America and champions people who aspire for better.  

Join us this episode with Lauren Hall to chat about DISH's commitment to providing high quality permanent housing to San Franciscans who suffer from serious health issues. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, theres is a nationwide shortage of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing. We explore the political attacks on the Housing First framework that stigmatizes drug use and users and call for the prioritization of treatment before housing. "It is hard to make positive change in your life if you don't have a home," Support the show

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Amir Baluch, a semi-retired anesthesiologist and founder of Blue Capital Partners, about alternative investment strategies for healthcare providers. Dr. Baluch shares insights on creating passive income streams, the importance of diversification beyond traditional stocks and bonds, and how strategic investments can "buy back time" for busy practitioners. While much of his financial advice offers valuable perspective for healthcare providers looking to reduce clinical hours and focus more on business development, we also provide important context regarding his comments on real estate investment and political policies that may contradict current research on housing affordability and economic impacts. Episode Highlights: The Power of Passive Income: How investing in alternative assets can create freedom in your schedule and reduce dependence on clinical hours Diversification Strategy: Why relying solely on traditional investments like stocks may not provide adequate returns in the coming decade Risk-Adjusted Returns: Understanding how to evaluate investments beyond just the stated return percentage Time vs. Money: Creating a strategic plan to gradually reduce clinical hours through passive income Marketing vs. Sales: The critical differences between creating awareness and converting leads Building a Sellable Practice: The importance of treating your practice like a business that could someday be sold Producer's Notes: Two topics discussed in this episode warrant additional context: Single-Family Home Investments: Institutional investor ownership of single-family homes has grown significantly, with just 32 institutional investors collectively owning 450,000 single-family homes by 2022. Research indicates non-individual investor ownership of single-family rentals increased from 17% in 2001 to 25% in 2021, with projections suggesting institutional investors could control 40% of U.S. single-family rental homes by 2030. This trend is contributing to the housing affordability crisis in many markets. Policy Impacts: Despite Dr. Baluch's enthusiasm about certain administration policies, current evidence suggests recent tariffs, immigration policies, and cuts to housing programs are adversely affecting housing affordability. Housing experts note that deportation plans could severely impact the construction industry, as immigrants make up approximately 30% of the construction labor force at a time when the National Association of Home Builders projects a need for 2.2 million new skilled construction workers. Sources: Government Accountability Office (GAO). "Rental Housing: Information on Institutional Investment in Single-Family Homes." May 2024. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. "8 Facts About Investor Activity in the Single-Family Rental Market." 2024. MetLife Investment Management. "Housing Market Projections Report." 2023. The Washington Post. "Investors bought up a record share of homes last year." February 2022. Center for American Progress. "Americans Recognize Housing Affordability Crisis." October 2024. National Association of Home Builders. "Understanding Housing Affordability in Today's Market." July 2024. Bankrate. "How Will Tariffs And Deportations Affect Housing?" April 2025. Newsweek. "Trump Tariffs Could Slow US Housing Market in 2025." March 2025. ProPublica. "Trump Says He'll Fight for Working-Class Americans. His First Presidency Suggests He Won't." November 2024. National Low Income Housing Coalition. "Impacts of Trump Administration Executive Orders." April 2025. Notable Quotes: "If you diversify across enough asset classes, you could reduce your risk by 80% and still get the same returns." - Dr. Amir Baluch "When people don't write it down on a piece of paper, it never happens. They throw money here and there and a couple of investments. But at the end of the year, okay, how much time did that buy you back?" - Dr. Amir Baluch "Just imagine every dollar bill you have is a little soldier. You just want to put it to work out there." - Dr. Amir Baluch "If you're not measuring it, it doesn't get managed." - Dr. Amir Baluch "I think that's the key. Take your time and energy so that you can work on the business instead of being in it all the time." - Host Bio: Dr. Amir Baluch is a Wall Street Journal and international bestselling author who retired from anesthesiology in his early 40s to focus on transforming wealth management for healthcare professionals. After experiencing his father's bankruptcy and personal setbacks in 2001, he developed alternative investment strategies that have since helped numerous medical professionals achieve financial independence. As founder of Blue Capital Partners, Dr. Baluch manages over $700M in projects, specializing in creating passive income through real estate, private equity, and private credit investments. His expertise has been featured on ABC News, Business Insider, and Forbes. He's dedicated to empowering 10,000 healthcare professionals to secure financial freedom through recession-proof investment opportunities that provide not just wealth accumulation but also tax reduction and lifestyle flexibility. Dr. Baluch brings a unique physician-focused perspective to financial planning, having personally implemented the strategies he teaches to achieve early retirement and build lasting wealth. Find Dr. Baluch: Website LinkedIn Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy's LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page Thriving Practice Community Instagram

The gap in available affordable housing continues to grow in Delaware.Rents and housing costs are still rising, barriers to homeownership are widening, and the state is some 20,000 housing units short for median and low-income people. According to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, nearly a third of workers don't make enough to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the state.This week, Delaware Public Media's Kyle McKinnon is joined by the executive director of Housing Alliance Delaware Rachel Stucker for a closer look at the challenges in providing affordable housing and why housing is getting more expensive in Delaware.

Rents today are well above what they were before the pandemic. According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans' second-highest personal finance concern this election year is the cost of housing, behind only inflation. John Yang speaks with Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, about what's keeping rents high. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Solving this nation's housing crisis, which has triggered an all-time high in homelessness, begins with demystifying the reasons it exists. The National Low Income Housing Coalition answers the why, advances policies that make housing attainable and builds the political will to achieve large-scale solutions. For 50 years it has been unwavering in its focus on the housing needs of lowest income renters, engaging them as partners in their advocacy and as members of the Board of Directors. As the super talented Sarah Saadian, Senior VP of Public Policy and Field Organizing, explains on this episode of Power Station, there are two main drivers of the housing crisis: a severe shortage of homes that are affordable and available to extremely low-income renters and our systemic wage gap, which make it impossible for working people to meet ever increasing rent demands. She points to the Coalition's annual GAP report, which documents these conditions state by state, providing policymakers with the stark realities of their constituents. The Coalition's marshaling of $46 billion during the pandemic is legendary. Next up, the full federal investment needed to solve our housing crisis.

The affordable housing gap is growing with a huge 7.2 million rental homes needed to meet demand. A new report on the supply of affordable homes in the US shows that no state has enough supply to meet the needs of low-income renters.    Hi I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. Find out more about how you can provide affordable single-family rental homes as a RealWealth member. It's free to join and to learn how to invest wisely. Go to newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast!   This new study is called: “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes.” The National Low Income Housing Coalition conducts this study every year to determine the extent of this unmet demand. The 7.2 million figure refers to a shortage of homes for extremely low-income families or what's referred to as ELI renter households. These families have incomes which are at or below the poverty level or are earning just 30% of the median income in their areas...   Links:   1 - https://www.housingfinance.com/news/u-s-has-gap-of-over-7-2-million-affordable-and-available-rental-homes_o   ~~~~ FOLLOW OUR PODCASTS

April 26, 2024: Groundworks Collaborative supports people in Windham County dealing with housing insecurity and hunger. Executive Director Libby Bennett and Board member Peter Elwell discuss homelessness in Vermont post-pandemic.To learn more about Groundworks Collaborative: https://groundworksvt.org/ Do you know your state's housing wage? Learn more from the National Low Income Housing Coalition: https://nlihc.org/oor

Get an in-depth look at U.S. minimum wage variations, with budgeting tips and assistance programs for financial security. Are we in a recession? How much inflation has happened in the US recently? Is it too early to file your taxes? Hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski delve into this week's financial headlines, including positive GDP growth and the implications of inflation on interest rates, before taking a closer look at the pressing issue of minimum wage in the United States. They address the disparities in minimum wage across states and cities and how it impacts workers. Plus, analysis of data on minimum wage increases in various areas, highlighting significant bumps in pay rates. Their discussion covers the highest minimum wages in the U.S., emphasize the challenges faced by those stuck at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and the struggles of hourly workers to keep up with inflation, and offer suggestions to help listeners facing financial difficulties, including budgeting tips and reaching out to organizations equipped to offer support for those who need it. In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: minimum wages, budgeting tips, financial assistance, hourly workers, inflation, GDP growth, interest rates, personal finance, money headlines, tax season, federal minimum wage, income, consumer confidence, financial crisis, eviction, food insecurity, assistance programs, 50/30/20 rule, SNAP benefits, bills, payment plans, mortgage, rental assistance, legal aid, economic outlook, economic trends, gross domestic product, Federal Reserve, inflation-adjusted GDP, disposable incomes, financial counselors, 211, Emergency Rental Assistance Programs, Legal Services Corporation, National Low Income Housing Coalition, Inflation Reduction Act, stock market, recession predictions, part-time jobs, gig economy, and financial security. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

Join us on "The Road Home" as we delve into the crucial topic of tenant organizing with our esteemed guests, Mindy Woods, Housing and Homeless Advocate from the Resident Action Project, and Brooke Schipporeit, Manager of Field Organizing at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. In this episode, we explore the power of organized tenant movements in advocating for affordable and stable housing, and the impact of such initiatives on addressing homelessness among veterans. Tune in to gain valuable insights and actionable strategies for creating positive change in the housing landscape. #nchv #TeamDepot #UntilNoVeteranIsHomeless

Ouster of GOP Speaker Hampers Ability of Congress To Function Amid Looming Shutdown The ouster of House GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy nearly two weeks ago continues to hamper the ability of the legislative branch to advance policy, even as the spectre of a government shutdown continues to loom large. Nonprofits like the National Low Income Housing Coalition say that the shutdown (which would go into effect on November 17th) as well as the current political standstill and dysfunction threaten what they percieve as must-pass legislation related to HUD and housing assistance, which advocates say need to increase every year as the cost of living goes up. The volatility of the status of the government (a shutdown would pause non-essential government services) has put nonprofits on edge. Food banks can expect increased demand as hundreds of thousands of government workers and contractors go without pay, and programs like WIC and SNAP are at operational risk in long shutdowns. The Chronicle of Philanthropy also cites domestic violence shelters as also vulnerable to shutdowns because many rely heavily on government grants.

Ouster of GOP Speaker Hampers Ability of Congress To Function Amid Looming Shutdown The ouster of House GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy nearly two weeks ago continues to hamper the ability of the legislative branch to advance policy, even as the spectre of a government shutdown continues to loom large. Nonprofits like the National Low Income Housing Coalition say that the shutdown (which would go into effect on November 17th) as well as the current political standstill and dysfunction threaten what they percieve as must-pass legislation related to HUD and housing assistance, which advocates say need to increase every year as the cost of living goes up. The volatility of the status of the government (a shutdown would pause non-essential government services) has put nonprofits on edge. Food banks can expect increased demand as hundreds of thousands of government workers and contractors go without pay, and programs like WIC and SNAP are at operational risk in long shutdowns. The Chronicle of Philanthropy also cites domestic violence shelters as also vulnerable to shutdowns because many rely heavily on government grants.

In part 2 of the conversation about the National Low Income Housing Coalition's report, 'Out of Reach," Rabbi Joshua dives into the wage rate needed to live in and around Pasadena, which is 3x the rate of the minimum wage! The statistics aren't pretty, but they are real.During the break, learn about FID's upcoming movie night fundraiser, Stories from the Street, where we are showing The Soloist, a 2009 film based on true events of LA Times columnist Steve Lopez meeting a homeless gentleman named Nathaniel Ayers. To learn more about Friends In Deed:www.friendsindeedpas.orgTo learn more about National Low Income Housing Coalition:nlihc.org

In the first of a multi-part series, Rabbi Joshua begins to unpack a report called 'Out of Reach,' published annually by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which tracks the cost of rentals in every state, and compares them with the wage rate need to afford a modest one or two bedroom home. This episode focuses nationally, hence the title of 'Don't Make $24/hr,' and lays out the report's approach and the history of this organization. SPOILER ALERT: In California, the wage rate is at minimum double the national rate. This episode spells out the real statistics, and tells stories of real human beings, of the housing crisis that face our nation, and are the number leading cause of homelessness.Learn more about Friends In Deedwww.friendsindeedpas.orgLearn more about the National Low Income Housing Coalition:https://nlihc.org/oor

Eviction filing rates are soaring after the pandemic's renter protection programs expired. One reason is the rising rents and a shortage of affordable housing for those with the lowest incomes. Diane Yentel, CEO and president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition advocacy group, joins John Yang to discuss the impact. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Eviction filing rates are soaring after the pandemic's renter protection programs expired. One reason is the rising rents and a shortage of affordable housing for those with the lowest incomes. Diane Yentel, CEO and president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition advocacy group, joins John Yang to discuss the impact. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Chicago renters must make at least $50,000 a year, or work two jobs at minimum wage, to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. That's according to a new study by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Reset discusses the causes of and solutions to the lack of affordable rental housing in Chicago and Illinois with Bob Palmer, policy director for Housing Action Illinois.

On this week-in-review, Crystal is joined by general secretary of the Seattle Transit Riders Union, Katie Wilson! They cover a lot of ground today, discussing Bob Ferguson's unnamed donors, the Burien Planning Commission resigning in protest over “scapegoating” and “lack of action and missteps” by the city council majority and city manager, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's “War on Health,” reflections following the Seattle City Council mobility-focused forums, the Seattle City Council approving an affordable housing levy for the November ballot, Trans Pride barring Seattle Public Library, King County Council considers mandating that stores accept cash in addition to card or electronic payments, and a Saving Journalism, Saving Our Democracy event on Wednesday, June 21st, at Town Hall Seattle. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii, find today's co-host, Katie Wilson, at @WilsonKatieB, and find the Seattle Transit Riders Union at @SeattleTRU. Resources “Better Behavioral Health Crisis Response with Brook Buettner and Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig” from Hacks & Wonks   “Before rule change, AG Bob Ferguson moves $1.2M ‘surplus' to campaign” by Jim Brunner from The Seattle Times   “Early WA governor's race skirmish? Campaign finance loophole scrutinized” by Jim Brunner from The Seattle Times   “Public Hearing to review – and possibly take action against – Charles Schaefer and Cydney Moore will be Thursday, June 15” by Scott Schaefer from The B-Town Blog   “King County's letter to City of Burien offers $1 million and 35 pallet shelters for homelessness crisis” by Scott Schaefer from The B-Town Blog   “Emotion-packed special Burien City Council meeting results in removal of Charles Schaefer as Planning Commission Chair” by Mellow DeTray from The B-Town Blog   “UPDATE: Total of 9 commissioners, advisory board resign en masse in protest of Charles Schaefer's removal” by Scott Schaefer from The B-Town Blog   “Seattle to Launch "War on Health"” by Amy Sundberg from Notes from the Emerald City   “​​Harrell's approach to fentanyl crisis: Heavy on spectacle, light on substance” by Marcus Harrison Green for The Seattle Times   “Community Court Is Dead. What Comes Next?” by Erica C. Barnett from PubliCola   “Harrell Vows to Pass New Drug Law, Creates Work Group to Find Solutions to the Fentanyl Crisis” by Andrew Engelson from PubliCola   “Mayor Harrell Promises a ‘War on Health,' Not a ‘War on Drugs'” by Ashley Nerbovig from The Stranger   “Midweek Video: Seattle Council Candidate District 3 Mobility Forum” by Doug Trumm from The Urbanist   “Seattle City Council District 5 Mobility Forum Video” by Doug Trumm from The Urbanist   “City Council sends $970M Housing Levy to Seattle voters” by Josh Cohen from Crosscut   “WA renters need to earn twice the minimum wage to afford rent” by Heidi Groover from The Seattle Times   “Seattle Public Library Kicked Out of Trans Pride After Hosting Anti-LGBTQ+ Activist Kirk Cameron” by Erica C. Barnett from PubliCola   “Data shows Seattle area is becoming increasingly cashless” by Gene Balk from The Seattle Times   Saving Journalism, Saving Our Democracy – Town Hall Seattle   Find stories that Crystal is reading here   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Tuesday topical show and our Friday week-in-review delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. If you missed our Tuesday topical show, I learned about North King County's innovative new Regional Crisis Response Agency with its inaugural Executive Director Brook Buettner and Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig. Following national guidelines and best practices for behavioral health crisis care, a five-city consortium established the RCR program in 2023 as part of a vision to provide their region with the recommended continuum of behavioral health care - which includes someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. Today, we're continuing our Friday week-in-review shows where we review the news of the week with a co-host. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show and today's co-host: co-founder and general secretary of the Seattle Transit Riders Union, Katie Wilson. [00:01:35] Katie Wilson: Thank you, Crystal - great to be here. [00:01:37] Crystal Fincher: Great to have you here again, and just - I am such an admirer of the work that you and TRU do. Just wanted to start talking about - an updated public disclosure report cycle just happened, we're in the midst of a gubernatorial race that has started early. But there was a notable addition to these reports, or occurrence in these reports, and that was the reporting by Bob Ferguson of his surplus transfer. How did you see this? [00:02:10] Katie Wilson: Yeah so basically, Ferguson transferred - I believe it was - $1.2 million from surplus funds from previous campaigns to his current gubernatorial campaign. And it appears as just a big lump sum, so it's not clear who donated this money - what individuals or interests. And because of the timing of the new PDC interpretation of the law, this appears to be technically okay, but it does mean that it's very possible that you have people who contributed to that $1.2 million who are also contributing to his current campaign and therefore going over individual campaign contributions. So you could look at it as a big infusion of kind of dark money into this race if you wanted to. It appears to be technically legal but definitely of, I suppose, questionable ethics in a larger sense. [00:03:05] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and it was really notable. I'd read the reporting looking at it, but when you're looking at a PDC report and you see basically more money undeclared, unassigned to - literally listed under miscellaneous there in the report - it does make you wonder who those people are. Especially since if you work in politics or affiliated with it, you know that it's because of an action by the attorney general - which lots of people agree with - that we can't currently advertise on Twitter or Facebook because they lacked the appropriate reporting requirements. Because that's so important - to see who is giving what - we have stronger disclosure requirements than some other areas. Certainly it's something we take seriously. And so it is interesting to see from the attorney general who did that, just a lot of dark money. This could be an interim reporting thing maybe, he could still report who those donations belong to. As you said, it could run afoul of some of the campaign contribution limits if there are people who gave both to that campaign that he's transferring from and to his current gubernatorial campaign, but it's really a conundrum. Our Public Disclosure Commission recently clarified that you can't make transfers above any campaign contribution limits, but the official notification or the official clarification didn't happen until after this transfer - although they did let everyone know that they were going to be making that rule change. And it was after that notification that this transfer was made. So no, it was probably dicey, a bit questionable - especially because of that, I would expect to see the donors disclosed. I hope to see the donors disclosed - I think it's an important thing that is unambiguously the spirit of the law, if not the letter. So we'll see how this continues. Are there any other notable races that you're paying attention to, notable reports that you saw? [00:05:09] Katie Wilson: Not so much on the PDC side - I think I didn't comb through it as closely as you did. But one more note on the Ferguson thing - I was just thinking, it just brought to mind - I think the reason, part of the reason why it's notable is just the size of the transfer of money, right? $1.2 million is actually quite a campaign fund. But also just, of course, that it is Bob Ferguson - many of us associate him with principles and things like that. [00:05:36] Crystal Fincher: In law and order. [00:05:37] Katie Wilson: Right - in law and order. And so it just makes me think about just the difference between the things that we say that we believe and then how we behave in our own lives. And you think of something like a new tax going into effect - and a wealthy person who supports a tax that is going to require them to pay more money, but then they shuffle things around before it goes into effect to avoid it affecting them as much. Human nature perhaps, but I think we can expect better of our elected leaders. [00:06:10] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Speaking of expecting better from our elected leaders, I wanted to talk about what's happening in the City of Burien. We certainly have talked about this before, after King County Executive Constantine sent a letter that was - I don't know that it was unprecedented, but certainly not something that we see often. After Burien had twice enacted sweeps of homeless encampments - which as we know are advised against by public health authorities, don't have evidence showing that they are effective, usually people just end up moving to another place - that doesn't solve homelessness, it is actually destabilizing. And providing services and housing is what has had a track record of success that's much better than sweeps. But they kept doing it. And then they - and when I say they, I'm talking about a majority of four people on the Burien City Council – in 4-3 votes on the council, voted to move forward with that. And then because they were called out about a law that says if you're gonna sweep, you need to have shelter available - it makes no sense and is unconstitutional to say that someone can't be in a public space without somewhere else for them to go. When that happened, they said - Okay well, we'll try and just do an end run around the law, and we'll lease it to this dog park group - which is a front for people who are just going to use their lease and occupation of that land as a private entity to then trespass people off of that land, so a sweep by proxy. Which Dow Constantine, the King County Executive, saw and said - I can't have our sheriff's deputies participate in this - and those sheriff's deputies are the ones who are actually providing police services to the City of Burien - saying that this is unconstitutional, we can't be a part of it. But at the same time, offering help to get through the problem, offering $1 million, offering several pallet shelters - I think it's 100 pallet shelters - for people and space in order to put that. Which most cities, I think, would be jumping up and down, celebrating, saying - We need all the help we can get. [00:08:18] Katie Wilson: You would hope, but most cities - you think most cities in King County would be jumping up and down to start a sanctioned encampment in their city? [00:08:31] Crystal Fincher: I think many would. I think more would than you think. Now, that caveat comes with they may sweep in addition to that, I don't know that they would stop the sweeps. But I do think that most would take that money and identify places in the same way that they've identified places in these contentious meetings for shelters and different locations and the conversations that we have with that. Not that it wouldn't have any friction, but most cities have taken advantage of funds in this area. It is definitely more unusual to say - No thanks - to a million bucks, especially when the problem is chronic. They have swept three times now and the people just moved to another location - 'cause surprise, they have no other home to go to. And if there is no shelter, then what? So shelter has to be part of this. And hopefully we proceed beyond shelter and really talk about housing and helping transition people into that. So this is just a conundrum. But the escalation came when the City Council tried to censure a member of the Planning Commission and a City Councilmember who were actually trying to do the work of finding housing for people - accusing them of interfering. And it just seemed like a really ugly thing - that they felt like they were being called out, showed in their reaction to King County Executive Dow Constantine's letter. Just seems like taking offense to even being questioned about this tactic - again, that is against best practices - and feels like retribution, and really unconstitutional retribution. What's your view on this? [00:10:09] Katie Wilson: Yeah, this has been a really contentious public issue in Burien for a little while now. And I think that the bigger issue that we're dealing with here is the spread of the homelessness crisis. Of course, the homelessness crisis has been regional - not just in Seattle - for a long time, but I think that there's been an intensification over the last few years and especially coming out of the pandemic as rent increases, not just in Seattle, but in some cases even more so in other cities around the county have just shot up, right? So you've had double digit percentage rent increases in many, many cities around the county, including Burien. And so I think that that has led to, been a big factor in increasing numbers of unsheltered homeless people in Burien and other cities outside of Seattle, so that it's becoming a more visible and urgent public problem for them. And I think that there's a lot of kind of wishful thinking on the part of both some elected officials and a lot of people in Burien that this isn't really a Burien problem, right? Like maybe these people could just go to Seattle or something, right? So I think that there's a - and we saw this play out too in the fight in Burien about permanent supportive housing recently, right? So there's a reluctance to invest in things like shelter and services in the city, and a desire that the problem just goes away or goes somewhere else. So that's, I think, the bigger picture. And the specific grounds on which the councilmember, Cydney Moore, and the Commissioner Charles - and I'm forgetting his last name now - that this meeting was held, hearing was held last night to potentially remove Charles from the commission and to censure Cydney on the council was that they had - when these sweeps were happening - they had allegedly talked to campers and helped them to find somewhere else to camp. And so I think the idea was that it was improper for these public officials to basically tell people - Here. You can camp here. - when it's technically illegal. And so this hearing took place last night and the outcome was that the - Charles was actually removed from the commission, something that the council had the power to do. And they did that by a 4-3 vote. And in the end, Cydney Moore was not censured. There was a proposal to postpone discussion indefinitely that passed, so that didn't happen. The council does not have the power to remove a fellow councilmember - that can only happen through an election. If they had had the power to remove her, would four of the councilmembers have voted to do so? We'll never know. But they decided not to censure her, knowing that she's going to still be on the council, at least through the elections. [00:13:06] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and at least in elections - there are active elections going on here. We have two people who have been strong proponents of these sweeps, who have spoken against King County Executive Dow Constantine - two of them are running for election. One running for a King County Council seat - Sofia Aragon, running against Teresa Mosqueda. Another running for Burien City Council seat - Kevin Schilling, with two opponents there. And it was really interesting this week - there were endorsement meetings held in a variety of LDs - Burien is in both the 33rd and the 34th Legislative District. So hearing local Democratic organizations talk about this - and it is just confounding - 'cause there's such a misalignment between what you hear coming from the legislative districts and the Democratic base in these areas in the city, and some of the elected officials. So there seemed to be a strong repudiation - certainly a decline to endorse Kevin Schilling again, same with Sofia Aragon. And so it just seems like there are signals coming from people that this is not the right solution. And even if people don't know what to do about the problem and are - I see this as a problem, I'm not sure what to do. It feels like everybody is going - But why would you pass up some help and maybe a path forward? Why would you pass up a million dollars? And talking about passing up - that this offer was made earlier this month, late last month - and they haven't even taken it up, considered it. We still have people living outside. And they had this special meeting to consider kicking this planning commissioner off of the Planning Commission, censuring this councilmember - yet, they're still not even taking time to discuss this offer. Focusing on solutions, getting to work - no matter what your viewpoint is or what you're working on - seems like that would be what would satisfy most people, at least make some progress moving forward on whatever it is that they're going to decide to do. But it seems like they're doing nothing and refusing any offers of help, both financially and otherwise. So many times it's the - Well, how are you gonna pay for it? Someone else is willing to pay for it. The hardest part of this is already taken care of. So I hope that they do take action to move soon. We have seen already some repercussions from this council action and seeing several people from some Burien commissions have resigned - one from an Airport Commission. In fact, not only an airport commissioner, but several members of the Planning Commission are resigning from their seats. And a statement that is released - was just released here while we're recording - the statement says, "We, the undersigned, are resigning from the Burien Planning Commission effective immediately. We've lost confidence in our city council's ability to lead. Over the past several months, it has become clear to us that there is a majority on the council, specifically, Mayor Aragon, Deputy Mayor Schilling, and Councilmembers Matta and Mora, who are unwilling to discuss issues of affordable housing, homelessness, and poverty in Burien. Instead, they have spent valuable time and resources seeking someone to blame for their lack of action and the missteps of the new city manager. Planning Commission Chair Charles Schaefer fulfilled their need for a scapegoat, and they removed him from his position last night while still refusing to take action to address the homelessness crisis that impacts Burien as much as any other city in our region, state, or county, or country. In addition to being unproductive, this action raises significant concerns for us all about our own constitutional rights as individuals serving our city." So we will continue to pay attention to what is happening here, and see what happens. Also want to cover this week - Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell - I don't know if he meant to say this or what, but announced his "War on Health" this week. What happened here? [00:17:17] Katie Wilson: Okay, what a situation. So I think - I guess the idea is that - we all hate the War on Drugs, so we're gonna go for a War on Health instead. Yeah, bad marketing. So the background of course is the City Council vote recently on basically copying the new state drug law into Seattle's code so that the City Attorney Office can prosecute drug possession and public use in Seattle. And that vote ended up failing due to a last minute switch by Councilmember Lewis. And Lewis subsequently said that he would vote for it, but only if there was a process to stand up some new alternative to replace the community courts that City Attorney Ann Davison had unceremoniously dissolved. And so this announcement by Bruce Harrell was of a task force - I'm now forgetting the name of the task force, Crystal, maybe you can help me out - and so the idea is that this very diverse task force, people coming from many different perspectives are gonna come together and they're gonna figure out the solution. We're gonna have more diversion programs, we're gonna have ways for people to avoid just spending a long time in jail for drug possession or public use. And then Seattle is going to pass this law at least partially recriminalizing drugs. And then, everything's gonna be great. So that's the Harrell version of what happened. [00:19:03] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and it's interesting. And it was the Fentanyl Systems Work Group - a subset of the Fentanyl Systems Work Group that was originally put together as part of an effort to revitalize downtown - so now there's a shift, in a subgroup made of that. It was noted that - he said that we need to take a public health approach. There are no public health representatives on this large and broad task force, but it just - if you know me, we've probably had this conversation, but - at some point in time, we have to stop trying to task force our way around problems. We've known of this crisis for quite some time. We've had staff dedicated to figuring out what to do with this crisis. This is a big problem. I don't think that the issue is that people don't know what the problem is, or what the options are on the table - we've been discussing this as a community for quite some time. It really is just - what are you going to do about it? And of course, no one is going to be - everyone is not going to be happy with whatever decision is made, but there needs to be action taken. Hopefully that action is aligned with best practices and what we have seen work elsewhere. But it seems like this is a half-baked response and kind of a flat-footed response to the council declining to do what they were doing there. But even if they would have passed that - that doesn't take care of the crisis. We're talking about criminalization here. We're not talking about the things that actually get people out of addiction, that gets fentanyl off of our streets, that does address public use - which is a problem and needs to be taken care of. I think a lot of people's frustration is just - why do we keep spending time and money either doing nothing, or doing things that have already failed? It would be great if we could spend time and money on things that have a shot at working and have shown that they have worked elsewhere. [00:20:59] Katie Wilson: Yeah, totally. And a couple of things that jumped out at me, reading some of the coverage of this - I thought Marcus Harrison Green had a good op-ed in the Seattle Times about it. And one of the things that he pointed out is that many people start using after they become homeless, right? And so in that context, throwing someone in jail - which is incredibly expensive, even if you do it compassionately, as Harrell has promised compassionate arrests or whatever - and then eventually they're back out on the street where they're more likely to overdose is a really bad idea. And I think that Erica Barnett, in a lot of her coverage of this and related ideas, points out repeatedly that the idea that jail is gonna be just this nice kind of sobering up period, and then you're gonna come out and be much more likely to get treatment and services is really wishful thinking. And in one of the pieces on PubliCola about this, Lisa Daugaard points out that the really critical issue is actually finding funds for recovery services for people with substance use disorder, especially people who are homeless. And that's really, I think, the elephant in the room in terms of what we're not talking about when we're creating this task force to come up with policies and everything. It's just not being willing to reckon with the scale of the resources that are gonna be needed to actually provide the housing and give people the services that they need. And this is something that I think - not to say that that's not gonna be talked about, I'm sure it will be talked about - and it will be talked about in the fall budget process this fall. And that just really makes me nervous - because as someone who's on the City Revenue Stabilization Work Group that's thinking about how the City should deal with an impending general fund shortfall, there's not gonna be a lot of money sloshing around that is just waiting to be allocated to things like this. So I think there's gonna be some really challenging conversations coming up about how we fund these extremely underfunded needs. [00:22:59] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. I also wanna talk this week about a number of candidate forums that were held in the City of Seattle from organizations focused on mobility and disability throughout the community - a large coalition of those. And so there were council forums held in several districts. I moderated one of them, another one ended up being canceled - it was a District 4 forum - in honor of the strike at the University of Washington. Any takeaways that you had from these forums with Seattle City Council candidates? [00:23:35] Katie Wilson: Yeah, and by the way, side note - congratulations to UAW 4121 - I believe they've settled their strike as of yesterday. So that's awesome. But yes, so there was going to be a District 4 candidate forum and that's been - hopefully will still happen at some point, but was canceled in solidarity with the strike. But over the last couple of weeks, a large coalition of organizations - including the Transit Riders Union and other groups that work on transportation, climate, and disability issues - hosted forums in the three other open seats, so District 1, District 3 and District 5. And you can watch all of them - so they were recorded, I think The Urbanist might've run articles with links, they're on YouTube. And full disclosure - I did not attend all three forums, I have listened to a lot of it - but my overall impressions were hopeful, but also cynical. So I think a lot of the candidates in all of these races gave a lot of really good answers, made commitments, said that they support much greater investments in multimodal infrastructure. They understand that over 60%, or 66%, of Seattle's carbon emissions come from transportation. They need to really do mode shift - give people realistic options that aren't driving. They support one of our, TRU's issues - trying to get Seattle to pass legislation to require large employers to pay for transit passes for their workers - something that we were working on before the pandemic and was interrupted, but we would love to see happen at some point soon. So lots of good answers. I think the challenge that I see is that when I think about, for example, our current City Council and the kind of answers that they would give to those same questions at a candidate forum, I think a majority, probably a super majority would also give great answers to those questions. And one of the things that we've experienced over the years working with allies to try to get Seattle to do better on these transportation issues is just how short the good intentions and commitments fall in practice often. So for example, it's one thing to say that you support building sidewalks in all the places in cities that don't have them. How are you gonna come up with the astronomical funds that are required to do that? It's one thing to say that you support a connected network of bus lanes and bike lanes throughout the city. How are you gonna behave when there's big political conflicts because you're trying to take space away from cars? And another thing that we've experienced is that even when we have a council that is pretty good on these issues - if we don't have an executive who's right there with them and going to cooperate on implementation, the council can even pass things, like dedicate money for multimodal investments. And then those things don't happen because the mayor doesn't actually support them. And so the money doesn't actually get spent on those projects and things just get delayed and delayed and delayed out of existence. So that's the caution, but we'll see. I think I don't have very much of a sense in a lot of these council races of where exactly things will land after the primary, but I'm hopeful that we'll get some councilmembers in there who care about these issues and will at least make a good effort to move forward. [00:27:08] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. I definitely share the takeaways that you have. I also found it notable - one, on a number of the questions - yeah, the answers were more agreeable than initially thought, even specific answers. I also think - and heard it from them directly - they were surprised at hearing figures like 40% of residents of Seattle use non-car modes of transportation, yet only 4% of the SDOT budget is dedicated to those modes - and just that big contrast there. And they were very unaware of that contrast. I think there's a lot of people who, because of the way that media coverage has been over really the past decade plus, that more money and resources are dedicated to this than actually are - and really seeing how little comparatively is budgeted for people in cars versus everyone else doing everything that's not in cars is really stark, and they seemed very surprised by that. And I hope that helps to frame just why we're in the situation we're in, and why we have so far to go, and the urgency is so strong right now. So hopefully we do get some good policy wins out of this, ultimately, when these races shake out. Also want to talk about the Housing Levy being approved. What did the City Council do this week? [00:28:38] Katie Wilson: Yeah, so the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to send a $970 million Housing Levy to the November ballot for voters to vote on. This is a seven-year property tax levy, so that $970 million is spread over those seven years. And this would be used to construct and operate new affordable housing. It would be used to subsidize affordable home ownership. It would be used to raise wages for workers in the supportive housing and services sector. There's a big chunk for rental assistance, some other things. And it's a significantly larger levy than the one that is expiring - I believe it's like over three times bigger than the previous one. And of course that is, I think, probably an appropriate response to the scale of our housing prices. I guess what I would say is that it's tough - because we're chasing the private market. So as rents in the private market and housing costs, home prices in the private market just shoot up and up, it becomes more and more expensive - more and more people on the lower end cannot afford to rent, let alone buy in our region. And so then that demands more and more public resources to create housing that they can afford. And to me that - so it's tough because you look at the Housing Levy that's just expiring and it was very successful, right? It actually created more housing than it had been projected to. And then in addition, we have other funds that are going into building affordable housing, like the JumpStart big business tax - a big chunk of that is going to fund affordable housing and that's been incredibly successful. You look at the list of projects around the City that have benefited from money from JumpStart and it's a long list. And so this funding that we're putting into affordable housing is really a success story, but you look around and you don't see that reflected in general kind of feeling of - this city is becoming more affordable. And that's really just because we have - so much of the housing is still stuck in this kind of dysfunctional private housing market that is just going up and up and up. So yeah, that's what's happened. [00:31:02] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, definitely. And your point about - progress is absolutely being made, that's just a factual statement - but we still have the conditions that are creating this problem. And it's like you have to plug the leak in the boat if you're going to successfully bail it out, and we haven't adequately plugged those leaks. The wages required - there was an article about this this week - the wages required to just afford rental housing, let alone a home, are astronomical. What were your takeaways from that article and how does that contribute to this problem? [00:31:39] Katie Wilson: Yeah, totally. And that's the annual Out of Reach report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition - so every year they come out with a big report about every state in the country, every county in the country that kind of looks at what is the wage that a full-time worker would need to make in order to afford housing in that region. And basically what the report showed is that here in Washington, in the state - not just in King County - a Washington renter needs to earn $30.33 an hour to afford the typical one-bedroom apartment in the state without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs. And then in the Seattle area, that's even higher. So a renter would need to make $40 an hour, over $40 an hour to afford that market rate, standard one-bedroom apartment. And these are significantly higher numbers than last year's report - I believe it said they're about 20% higher than last year. And so what that tells us is that even though - luckily, here in Washington state and in the cities in King County that have established higher minimum wages, those wages are indexed to inflation - so we do get an annual inflation adjustment upward. That adjustment is not sufficient to make up for the rising cost of rents in our region so that lower-wage workers are definitely falling behind. And that $40 an hour figure is really interesting because it basically means - you look at the wages in Seattle, SeaTac, and now Tukwila, which starting on July 1 is going to have a minimum wage of $18.99 for most workers - those are getting up toward $20 an hour. But looking at this, it's like you would actually need two adults working full-time at those higher minimum wages to, with any comfort, afford a one-bedroom apartment in King County. So it really just shows how even as there are these efforts going on - this year, ballot initiative in Renton and work that TRU is doing with allies in Burien and unincorporated King County to try to get more jurisdictions to raise minimum wages - we're trying to get them to raise up to around $20 an hour, right? $19 or $20 an hour. And that's great, but man, it still doesn't mean that you're going to be able to afford housing easily. So yeah, it's a problem. And I think like this and thinking about the Housing Levy and just how far we have to go to make this region affordable, I think it really also underscores the need for social housing and how important it is that the City does a good job of following through on Initiative 135 and getting that started, so that we can start expanding the non-market housing sector - serving not just the very lowest income levels, but people even of all income levels - because really only taking housing out of the private market, ultimately, is going to fix this problem. [00:34:41] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And a reminder that there is an option for taking some housing out of the private market in the City of Seattle with the - Seattle's public developer that has been established. And as we talk about these City Council elections coming up, really making sure that there are plans that these candidates have to fund this developer and to pursue this is going to be very important. Also this week, we saw an announcement from Trans Pride that they are no longer welcoming the Seattle Public Library at their event. What happened here? [00:35:16] Katie Wilson: Yeah. Trans Pride basically announced that Seattle Public Library is not welcome at their event due to a number of issues, but I think the most recent one - and maybe the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak - was the library's allowing Kirk Cameron to host a talk in a library auditorium. I believe this was last month. Kirk Cameron being a former child TV person - I never saw him, I don't remember who he was - but who is now an anti-LGBTQ+ activist and has written children's books about the dangers of Pride. And so the library, as a public institution, says that it has legal obligations to not engage in viewpoint discrimination and has to allow any group or individual to rent its meeting spaces. And Trans Pride has responded by uninviting the Seattle Public Library from participation in the upcoming event. [00:36:24] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And this to me is a situation where - yes, the library is correct that because of First Amendment issues, they do have to accept facility rentals from there. But Trans Pride also absolutely has the right to determine who is and isn't welcome at their event, and especially in today's environment where safety is of paramount concern. Yeah, I think in this situation, both parties have the right to do what they do. I've seen some reaction in going - questioning whether Trans Pride can even do this. They absolutely can. This is what consequences are. And while it does appear that the Seattle Public Library, and most public libraries, do have to rent to their facilities to people for events and they can't choose who does and doesn't get to do that - it is unambiguously clear that Kirk Cameron is espousing harmful and dangerous rhetoric that's false, and it winds up endangering our trans community. And yeah, absolutely, they're not going to be welcome at an event where their institution can participate in making Trans Pride and the people in our community less safe. It's pretty straightforward. You have no right to participate in everybody's events - if they don't feel comfortable with you there, then that's that. So to me, this is just the library made its decision that it felt that it had to make, and Trans Pride made their decision that they felt that they had to make - and that's just that. [00:38:03] Katie Wilson: Yes, and PubliCola has done a lot of good coverage of this issue, so go there to read more. [00:38:09] Crystal Fincher: We will, of course, be linking that article in the show notes. Also wanted to talk about an upcoming vote this week with the King County Council about whether to mandate that stores in the county, or at least in unincorporated King County, continue to take all forms of payment, including cash. Why is this such an issue? [00:38:29] Katie Wilson: Yeah, so article in this week's Seattle Times from Gene Balk talking about how cashless payment and refusing to accept cash is becoming a more and more common thing in the Seattle area. And this is timely because there is actually legislation before the King County Council, championed by King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, that would require businesses - most businesses in unincorporated areas of the county, which is the jurisdiction that the King County Council has jurisdiction over - would require them to accept cash as a form of payment. This is something that I don't believe any jurisdiction in Washington state has done yet, but it's not unusual in other parts of the country. So New York City, San Francisco - there's a bunch of cities. And even a couple of states - I think the entire state of New Jersey, there might be a couple more - have passed legislation that requires businesses to accept cash payment. And obviously for a lot of us, we just walk around with a card and that's fine and it works for us. But especially seniors, immigrants and refugees, people with privacy concerns - either from experience with or fear of identity theft, domestic violence survivors, houseless people - there's demographics that are much more likely to rely on cash for most or all daily transactions. And if you're in one of those - in that situation - then if you have more and more businesses not accepting cash payment, then you get effectively locked out of the local economy. And so this legislation is coming to the full King County Council next Tuesday for a vote. It's not guaranteed to pass - so I think that there's definitely some reluctance on the part of some of the King County Councilmembers to vote on this. So if you think this is important, now's a good time to email in to your King County Councilmembers and maybe consider testifying next Tuesday. But yeah, I think unincorporated King County has a chance here to set an example for other jurisdictions in the area. [00:40:44] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And that great reminder to make your opinion known to your city council - County Councilmember - if you can. I was just in Santa Monica, California a couple weeks back, and they had businesses that had signs in their shops that they don't accept cash. This is a thing that can happen in this area. And it does seem to be a reaction to not wanting "those" people around. And there are lots of reasons why someone may prefer to use cash over other means, or may have to use cash over other means - and discriminating based on the type of payment just doesn't seem wise or prudent. And especially as we see so many forces working on excluding people from so many other places in society, we certainly don't need to contribute to the acceleration of that. So I also want to talk about an event taking place next Wednesday. What's happening? [00:41:47] Katie Wilson: Yes. So next Wednesday, 730 PM, at Town Hall Seattle, there is a forum that is co-sponsored by South Seattle Emerald and Real Change called Saving Journalism, Saving Our Democracy. And this is going to be a conversation about the challenges that news outlets, especially local news outlets, are facing these days keeping the lights on and providing adequate coverage of local issues. And the panelists include Jelani Cobb, who is the Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, and Michael McPhearson, who is the Editor of the South Seattle Emerald, Florangela Davila, who is a journalist who's worked at a bunch of different outlets, and Frank Blethen, who, of course, is the publisher of The Seattle Times. And the moderator is going to be Delores Irwin, co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Washington, which actually - earlier this year - put out a really great study called The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy, which charts the struggles that newspapers, in particular, in Washington state have faced over the last decades and kind of the dwindling news coverage in a lot of areas of the state, creating news deserts. So I think it's going to be a fascinating conversation. And I happen to know that there will be some potentially actionable policy proposals that will be discussed that could turn into interesting campaigns in this area in the near future. So I definitely encourage people to attend the event, get involved in the conversation. [00:43:39] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And I am a big fan and supporter of both Michael McPhearson and Florangela Davila - we are fortunate to have them both in our local media ecosphere. And certainly, this is part of a broader national conversation. But looking forward to see what's discussed. It's critical to our democracy, it's critical to just our everyday lives - the quality of representation and policy that we see - and how people and organizations and institutions are held accountable. So it makes a big difference - I hope people definitely tune in and attend - we will put a link to that in the show notes also. And with that, I thank you all for listening to Hacks & Wonks on this Friday, June 16, 2023. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Shannon Cheng. Our insightful co-host today is co-founder and general secretary of the Seattle Transit Riders Union, Katie Wilson. You can find Katie on Twitter @WilsonKatieB. You can find Seattle Transit Riders Union on Twitter @SeattleTRU. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. And you can catch Hacks & Wonks wherever you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, please leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

On today's episode of Architectette we welcome Cori Callahan, the Program Director of Bike & Build.  Bike & Build pairs a cross-country bicycle trip with efforts to combat issues related to affordable housing and has been a thriving institution for 20 years with over 255,000 volunteer hours, 4000 participants, and 11 million miles biked. Sadly, summer 2023 will mark the non-profit's final two rides.  We talk about:   The structure of the Bike & Build program Typical participants How the program tackles education and action to improve access to affordable housing The impact of the program on communities nationwide and the impact on participants The reason for the program's end How you can support the 2023 riders! Links: Bike & Build: https://bikeandbuild.org/ SUPPORT Bike & Build: https://bikeandbuild.org/support/organization/ FOLLOW the 2023 Rides: https://bikeandbuild.org/follow/ National Low Income Housing Coalition: https://www.nlihc.org/ Low Income Housing Institute: https://www.lihihousing.org/ Okanogan County Long Term Recovery: http://www.okanogancountyrecovery.com/ Bike the US for MS: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page&id=1232 4k For Cancer: https://4kforcancer.org/rider/ Habitat for Humanity: https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/near-you/find-your-local-habitat NPR's The Outsiders Podcast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/795090517/outsiders US Department of Housing and Urban Development: https://www.hud.gov/ Architectette Podcast Website: www.architectette.com Connect with the pod on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/architectette/), Instagram (@architectette), and TikTok (@architectette) Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/architectette/support

Affordable housing is in short supply across America, with prices and rents rising in all areas. The good news is, when it comes to increasing affordable housing supply, property management businesses are in a unique position to help.However, while managing affordable units comes with many rewards and long-lasting benefits, it's also not without its challenges, especially when compared to market-rate portfolios. In this episode of The Top Floor podcast, you'll hear from Jayme Deal, the Regional Property Manager and Compliance Director for Artisan Management Group, Josefin Graebe, AppFolio's Senior Director of Affordable Housing, and Colleen Winship, the Program Manager for AppFolio's Affordable Housing team. Tune in to hear them discuss all things affordable housing management, including solutions for overcoming its unique challenges.Key Moments: Defining affordable housing How some of the most common affordable housing programs work The affordable housing supply problem Who qualifies for affordable housing How affordable housing benefits the wider community The top challenges of managing affordable housing How to get compliance right Hiring and training team members to work in affordable housing How technology can streamline affordable housing operations Key Links More Affordable Housing resources from AppFolio: https://www.appfolio.com/affordable-housing-property-managementA Closer Look at Affordable Housing: https://www.appfolio.com/blog/closer-look-affordable-housing/National Low Income Housing Coalition's report on the affordable rental shortage: https://nlihc.org/gap

In response to an inquiry by a US Senator, Amazon Ring disclosed that it gave personal information gathered from a personal Ring doorbell device without the owner's permission several times this year - we discuss.  Housing & Homelessness, it affects everything - and inflation has only made it worse.  Finally, several new proposed regulations for the commercial trucking industry threatens to turn everything on its ear. 

Rising home prices, rising apartment rents, the pandemic and low income and even middle class Americans - are finding it a challenge, if not down right impossible to find affordable housing.  What was largely regarded as an urban problem in the nation's coastal cities has come home to roost in smaller communities in America's heartland.  Its a vicious cycle. 

As firefighters make gains on the Oak Fire burning near Yosemite National Park, families are beginning to reckon with the devastation. California's largest fire of the year so far, has consumed nearly 19, 000 acres and forced thousands to flee. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR  The chief justice of California's Supreme Court says she will not seek a second term in November. Tani Cantil-Sakauye says she will retire at the end of her term on January 1. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Organizers rallied outside the Glendale offices of State Senator Anthony Portantino on Wednesday to call for support of a bill that would put restrictions on the use of solitary confinement. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC  Seven of the ten most expensive areas for housing in the nation are in California, with San Francisco being the most expensive and out of reach metropolitan area in the country. That's according to a newly released report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED A new statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California reveals where Californians stand on a host of issues from gas prices to climate policy. Reporter: Janaya Williams, KCRW  More and more Californians are following water restrictions as the state's drought drags on. Or at least, they're supposed to be. There's actually a satellite orbiting the Earth that can reveal the rule breakers. And one Californian knows who you are. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available in Nevada for households whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline; there are only 20 affordable and available rentals for every 100 extremely low-income renter household in Nevada. The data shows that there is a deficit of more than 100,000 affordable and available rental units in Southern Nevada. The Nevada Housing Coalition was created to develop strategies and goals to address the state's affordable housing shortfall through community action and policy changes. We are joined by the Coalition's Executive Director Christine Hess and board member Patrick Petrie from our very own city of Las Vegas Office of Community Services team.

It is not hyperbole to say that nonprofits are essential to becoming a just democracy. The best nonprofits produce unimpeachable data and mobilize across sectors and geography to advocate for federal legislation informed by the lived experience of their members. This role has taken on greater urgency in the face of a global pandemic that has disproportionately impacted the physical and economic well-being of low-income households, exacerbating our national eviction and homelessness crisis. Diane Yentel, CEO of National Low Income Housing Coalition, exemplifies how intentionality makes transformational change possible. As Diane says, NLIHC is laser-focused on expanding housing resources for lowest income Americans, no matter who is in the White House or Congress. The story of how NLIHC was able to get $25 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance into the 2020 stimulus package, an extension of the eviction moratorium passed and build the internal infrastructure needed to ensure that these funds were deployed to states and municipalities is beyond impressive. And now there is the imperative to achieve an historic investment in housing through the Build Back Better Act. NLIHC is our path to democracy.  

All the talk in Congress about the Build Back Better Act and the federal infrastructure package is confusing. It seems to change so quickly, it's hard to keep up. What got passed? What got cut? What's next? Where should we focus our advocacy? YIMBY Action Executive Director Laura Foote talks with Joey Lindstrom, Field Director at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, who gives an update on what made it across the finish line for housing in the Federal Infrastructure Package and what's to come.  

This episode features a conversation between Bich Ha Pham, JD, the Director of Communications and Policy at the Healthcare Anchor Network, and Mike Koprowski, MA, Ed.M, who is the National Campaign Director at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. This is the fourth in a series of six Coffee & Science events on topics related to Alignment and Advocacy, which are the last two “A”s of the National Academy of Medicine's framework that SIREN has used to organize Coffee & Science. Alignment and Advocacy are both about what health care can do at the community level to address social conditions. This conversation explores why and how health care organizations should engage in federal advocacy on issues like housing affordability. Recommended references: The Healthcare Anchor Network (website)  Healthcare Anchor Network. Principles for Health and Affordable Housing.  Current calls for action from the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign Pham BH, Zuckerman D, Fichtenberg C, Barnett K. Outside Their Comfort Zone: Health Sector Players Speaking Up for Housing Policy Change. Shelterforce. 2020. Counts NZ, Taylor LA, Willison CE, Galea S. Healthcare lobbying on upstream social determinants of health in the US. Prev Med. 2021.

On this episode of Justice Above All, host and TMI Senior Researcher Dr. Kesha Moore talks with Sarah Saadian, Vice President of Public Policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Sophie House, Law and Policy Director at NYU's Furman Center's Housing Solutions Lab, and Jason Bailey, Assistant Counsel at the Legal Defense Fund about how our current housing epidemic links back to the 2008 financial crisis, the racial disparities present in evictions, and how we can use the pandemic as impetus to prioritize creating a social safety net for renters. Guests: Sarah Saadian, Vice President of Public Policy, National Low income Housing Coalition Sophie House, Director of Law and Policy, NYU Furman Center's Housing Solutions Lab Jason Bailey, Assistant Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund 

There are 10.8 million extremely low income renters, but only four million homes that are both affordable and available to them. Dan Threet of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) shares key findings from the research team's 2021 “The Gap” report, demographics of people facing severe housing shortages and housing trends he has taken note of over the past several reports. 

Air Date 9/11/2020 Today we take a look at the easily predictable, yet growing, eviction crisis in America that is entirely thanks to a political and economic system that is structurally incapable of functioning for the benefit of people over profit. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Transcript BECOME A MEMBER! (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Ali Velshi Explains The Looming Eviction Crisis - MSNBC - Air Date 7-21-20 Ali Velshi breaks down why millions of Americans could be forced out of their homes Ch. 2: The Evictions Cliff Part 1, The Cost of Housing - Off Kilter - Air Date 7-18-20 Dan Threet of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Jay Willis, senior contributor for The Appeal. Ch. 3: There Is An Eviction Crisis, How Can We Fight Back? - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 7-11-20 There Is An Eviction Crisis, How Can We Fight Back? Ch. 4: Heartbreaking CNN Segment Highlights Eviction Crisis - The Rational National - Air Date 9-3-20 CNN puts a face to the eviction crisis that could hit 30-40 million Americans by the end of 2020. Ch. 5: The Evictions Cliff Part 2, Cancel Rent and Consider Housing a Human Right - Off Kilter - Air Date 7-18-20 Tara Raghuveer, director of the campaign for a Homes Guarantee and founding director of KC Tenants. Ch. 6: Voting Is Not Enough: Help Unhoused, Poor and Low-Income Voters Access the Ballot - Best of the Left Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment. For more, visit Bestoftheleft.com/2020Action. Ch. 7: Elizabeth Warren Talks Pending Eviction Crisis in America - NowThis - Air Date 7-25-20 ‘This coming eviction crisis is a racial justice crisis' — Sen. Elizabeth Warren explains why the looming eviction crisis could be devastating for communities of color. Ch. 8: Can Trump Really ‘Stop Evictions?' - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 9-2-20 A Trump administration order could allow many renters to avoid eviction through Dec. 31 Ch. 9: There Is No Ethical Capitalism - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 9-4-20 Understanding the amorality of capitalism through a structural lens VOICEMAILS Ch. 10: Thoughts on the frames through which we see the world - Naomi from Canada FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments on the dominant culture, national myths and the dominance of whiteness TAKE ACTION! Join The Poor People's Campaign's "We Must Do M.O.R.E." Effort "We Must Do M.O.R.E" Digital Toolkit Watch the "We Must Do M.O.R.E." Moral Monday Mass Assembly on 9/14 at 7pm ET on Facebook National Low Income Housing Coalition: National Federal Eviction Moratorium & Toolkit Nonprofit VOTES: Voting information pertaining to unhoused people National Coalition for the Homeless "You Don't Need A Home to Vote" Manual Get involved in the "You Don't Need a Home to Vote" Project National Housing Law Project Resources for People Facing Eviction During the Pandemic National Homelessness Law Center 2020 Election Guide EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE How the COVID-19 housing crisis could affect voter participation (Fast Company) Evictions Across US Raise Concerns About Voting Process (Voice of America) How The Eviction Crisis Could Compound Voter Suppression Come November (Huffington Post) Housing advocate on what to do if you're being evicted: ‘You have rights' (CNBC) Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman  MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions): Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr  Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent SHOW IMAGE "IMG_0344" from Chicago Right to Recovery Caravan Rally by Ervin Lopez on Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped, increased contrast, brightness and saturation   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

The National Low Income Housing Coalition's Sarah Saadian: CDC Issues Federal Eviction Moratorium Extension, But Millions of Renters Still at RiskNational Nurses United's Zenei Cortez: National Nurses Union Welcomes CDC Reversal on COVID Mask GuidanceEnergy Justice Network's Mike Ewell:  Minimizing Trash Disposal Environmental Harms, Moving Toward Zero WasteBob Nixon's Under-reported News SummaryCentral Asia braces for full impact of U.S. pullout from AfghanistanCaptagon drug trafficking has turned Syria into a narco-stateEyeing federal infrastructure windfall, private equity courts public utilities

The National Low Income Housing Coalition's Sarah Saadian: CDC Issues Federal Eviction Moratorium Extension, But Millions of Renters Still at RiskNational Nurses United's Zenei Cortez: National Nurses Union Welcomes CDC Reversal on COVID Mask GuidanceEnergy Justice Network's Mike Ewell:  Minimizing Trash Disposal Environmental Harms, Moving Toward Zero WasteBob Nixon's Under-reported News SummaryCentral Asia braces for full impact of U.S. pullout from AfghanistanCaptagon drug trafficking has turned Syria into a narco-stateEyeing federal infrastructure windfall, private equity courts public utilities

*As Federal Eviction Moratorium Expires Millions at Risk of Homelessness; Sarah Saadian, vice president of Public Policy with The National Low Income Housing Coalition; Producer: Scott Harris. *National Nurses Union Welcomes CDC Reversal on COVID Mask Guidance; Zenei Cortez, RN, president of National Nurses United Union; Producer: Scott Harris. *Minimizing Trash Disposal Environmental Harms, Moving Toward Zero Waste; Mike Ewell, founder & executive director for the Philadelphia-based Energy Justice Network; Producer: Melinda Tuhus.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Our top story is about how the Peoria-area real estate market continues to perform at a record pace, with properties moving faster than ever. You'll also hear how in Peoria a minimum wage earner has to work one and a half jobs to afford a two bedroom apartment. That's according to a new report from Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Charlie Schlenker speaks with Housing Action policy director Bob Palmer, who says the central Illinois figures are better than the state average, but that's not saying much.

It takes pay of more than $16.40 an hour for a full-time worker to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Bloomington-Normal and Peoria. That's according to a new report from Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

A report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition examines how unaffordable rents have become for low-wage workers. In particular, a two-bedroom rental is near impossible for full-time, minimum-wage workers in every state. Also, the BBC reports on Toyota executives’ reluctance to attend the Tokyo Olympics, and we discuss how the European Union’s proposed carbon border tax will go over with the rest of the world.

In our first ever episode of Because of This House, we have a conversation with Caitlyn Baylor, Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity's homeowner services coordinator. Caitlyn shares her expertise about the realities of housing in Rockford, particularly the lack of affordable housing options in our community. She helps us understand affordable housing as an objective term rather than a subjective one, and unpacks how the history of housing discrimination, redlining, and blockbusting limits affordable housing opportunities for many people in Rockford. Finally, Caitlyn shares how Habitat addresses some of these issues, and walks us through the process of how homebuyers become Habitat homeowners. We're beyond excited to share this conversation with you, and think it's the perfect overview of what Because of This House is all about. Resources: Social vulnerability and Redlining Map: https://dsl.richmond.edu/socialvulnerability/map/#loc=12/42.24/-89.132&city=rockford-il | A report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition on the High Cost of Housing: https://reports.nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/OOR_2020.pdf | Rockford Habitat Blog post with statistics about Habitat Home Mortgages: https://rockfordhabitat.org/2020/10/02/rahfh-celebrates-a-20th-homeowner-paying-off-their-mortgage-in-full/

Host Sammy Ross and guest Megan Kinneen dive into the topic of affordable housing.  What is affordable housing, and when did it become a crisis?  In this episode we discuss the history of Public Housing, how affordable housing became a crisis, and what we can do to keep a roof over our heads during this time of Covid-19.   For Bonus content about how guest Megan Kinneen fought to stay in her home in Boston, after new a new building owner drastically increased her rent, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/ThisisNotaHandout For more information about the show, please visit: https://www.thisisnotahandout.com   Resources: For more on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201205/our-hierarchy-needs  For a fun, short video of different types of housing through the centuries: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/395078/housing-through-the-centuries/  For more on the “40 times rent” rule: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/011916/i-make-50k-year-how-much-rent-can-i-afford.asp For the full National Low Income Housing Coalition's (NLIHC) “Out of Reach” Report on cost of housing: https://reports.nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/OOR_BOOK_2020.pdf  For a look into minimum wage in relation to affordable housing: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/14/minimum-wage-workers-cannot-afford-rent-in-any-us-state.html  For more on gentrification, and solutions for a healthy community revival: https://nlihc.org/resource/gentrification-and-neighborhood-revitalization-whats-difference  For more on the book, "The Color Of Law: A Forgotten History Of How Our Government Segregated America” https://www.npr.org/2017/05/17/528822128/the-color-of-law-details-how-u-s-housing-policies-created-segregation  For a break-down on Section 8 Housing, who is eligible, and how you can apply: https://www.propublica.org/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-how-section-8-really-works  For HUD's guidelines for Public Housing: https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/phprog  For a history on Public Housing and Section 8: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/15/how-section-8-became-a-racial-slur/  For more on the Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/apr/22/pruitt-igoe-high-rise-urban-america-history-cities  For more on the construction of luxury buildings: https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3bnme/tons-of-new-apartments-are-being-built-that-almost-no-one-can-afford  For more on the rise of empty luxury apartments in New York City: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/realestate/new-development-new-york.html  For more on mixed-use construction projects, and the integration of affordable housing: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/business/affordable-housing-luxury-development-gentrification.html  For more on Oakland's Vacant Property Tax: https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/networth/article/Oakland-s-vacant-property-tax-takes-effect-13563273.php  To learn more about what you can do if you are facing a financial housing hardship during Covid-19: https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/this-is-the-last-month-for-eviction-protections-unless-a-new-stimulus-bill-comes-soon/  For more on mortgage moratoriums during Covid-19: https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_20_214#:~:text=The%20FHA%20is%20also%20extending,for%20an%20additional%20six%20months.  For more on a surge in paying rent on credit cards during Covid-19: https://www.npr.org/2020/11/30/938867270/more-americans-pay-rent-on-credit-cards-as-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-relief-bill  For more on evictions in the wake of Covid-19: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-housing-eviction-insight/times-up-after-a-reprieve-a-wave-of-evictions-expected-across-u-s-idUSKBN27415U  For more on Tenants Associations, and how the city of Rochester, NY is building a city-wide Tenants Union: https://roctenantunion.squarespace.com/build-tenant-power  For more on evictions and tenants rights: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/evictions-renters-tenants-rights-29824.html 

Part two of our conversation about affordable housing andcommunity economic development focuses on the factors that create vibrant, successfulcommunities in urban and rural areas alike, using Maine as a case study. We alsodiscuss how law can be a contributor to effective development efforts. Our guests areGreg Payne of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition and Avesta Housing; ProfessorPeter Pitegoff of the University of Maine School of Law; and Nina Ciffolillo, theEconomic Justice Fellow for the Class of 2021 at the University of Maine School of Law.Greg Payne is the Director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition and aDevelopment Officer at Avesta Housing. Greg has nearly two decades of experience inissues related to housing and homelessness, including work at the Atlanta Task Forcefor the Homeless and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Greg joinedAvesta Housing in 2007 as a Development Officer. In addition to his responsibilities formanaging all aspects of multifamily rental projects from concept to completion, Gregserves as Director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, a diverse association ofmore than 125 private and public sector organizations committed to ensuring that allMainers are adequately and affordably housed. He is currently the Chair of the Board ofDirectors of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and serves on the Board ofGenesis Community Loan Fund.Peter Pitegoff is Professor of Law at the University of Maine School of Law, where hewas Dean from 2005 to 2015. He has taught, worked, and written extensively in theareas of community economic development, labor and industrial organization,corporation and nonprofit law, employee ownership, and legal ethics. Pitegoff served forten years on the board of directors of Coastal Enterprises, Inc., a national leader incommunity development finance. Prior to his academic career, he was legal counsel forthe ICA Group, a Boston firm that assists worker-owned enterprises and relatedeconomic development initiatives nationwide.Nina Ciffolillo is a second year law student at the University of Maine School of Law.She graduated from McGill University with a degree in English and Environment andmoved to Maine in 2016, where she worked for two seasons on a vegetable farm. Shebegan at Maine Law in 2018 and is the Economic Justice Fellow for the Class of 2021.Last summer, in connection with her fellowship, she worked in affordable housingdevelopment and policy at Avesta Housing. She plans to use her law degree to combateconomic and environmental injustice.

We kick off Season 2 of The Greater Good with a conversation about affordable housing and community economic development. We start by defining both of these terms and then delve into their history in the U.S., the current housing shortage, proposed law and policy changes, and the link to environmental sustainability. Our guests are Greg Payne of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition and Avesta Housing; Professor Peter Pitegoff of the University of Maine School of Law; and Nina Ciffolillo, the Economic Justice Fellow for the Class of 2021 at the University of Maine School of Law.Greg Payne is the Director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition and a Development Officer at Avesta Housing. Greg has nearly two decades of experience in issues related to housing and homelessness, including work at the Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Greg joined Avesta Housing in 2007 as a Development Officer. In addition to his responsibilities for managing all aspects of multifamily rental projects from concept to completion, Greg serves as Director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, a diverse association of more than 125 private and public sector organizations committed to ensuring that all Mainers are adequately and affordably housed. He is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and serves on the Board of Genesis Community Loan Fund.Peter Pitegoff is Professor of Law at the University of Maine School of Law, where he was Dean from 2005 to 2015. He has taught, worked, and written extensively in the areas of community economic development, labor and industrial organization, corporation and nonprofit law, employee ownership, and legal ethics. Pitegoff served for ten years on the board of directors of Coastal Enterprises, Inc., a national leader in community development finance. Prior to his academic career, he was legal counsel for the ICA Group, a Boston firm that assists worker-owned enterprises and related economic development initiatives nationwide.Nina Ciffolillo is a second year law student at the University of Maine School of Law. She graduated from McGill University with a degree in English and Environment and moved to Maine in 2016, where she worked for two seasons on a vegetable farm. She began at Maine Law in 2018 and is the Economic Justice Fellow for the Class of 2021. Last summer, in connection with her fellowship, she worked in affordable housing development and policy at Avesta Housing. She plans to use her law degree to combat economic and environmental injustice.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday Podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, talks about the upcoming federal funding deadline [1:54], a House subcommittee hearing on tax extenders [3:21] and the possibility of a second phase of tax reform [5:15]. After that, he shares a roundup of other headlines from the past week [7:12], including the National Low-Income Housing Coalition's latest affordable rental housing report, the CDFI Fund's Capital Magnet Fund awards, a report on federal historic tax credit investments and a bill in Oklahoma that would cap the state's wind production tax credit.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday Podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, starts off with the general news section, where he covers HUD Secretary Ben Carson's appearances last week before important subcommittees in both the House and the Senate to talk about President Trump's budget request. I'll also share what Pam Patenaude told the Senate Banking Committee during a hearing on her nomination as HUD deputy secretary. Then, he discusses President Trump's nomination of Joseph Otting to head the Office of Comptroller of the Currency. He also touches on the Financial Choice Act (H.R. 10), a significant banking regulation bill that the House passed last week to repeal and replace the Dodd-Frank Act. In low-income housing tax credit news, he tells listeners about the National Low-Income Housing Coalition's recently released, annual, Out of Reach Report. He also shares the steps being taken by an important affordable housing advocacy group to encourage the House Ways and Means Committee to expand the low-income housing tax credit. In new markets tax credit news, he provides details from an annual progress report by the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition, as well as information about the New Markets Tax Credit Working Group's latest comment letter to the IRS concerning this year's priority guidance plan. In historic tax credit news, he shares an update on an Illinois state historic tax credit bill (S.B. 1783) that awaits the governor's signature for a significant extension. And in renewable energy tax credit news, he shares some news about the American Wind Energy Association's (AWEA's) announcement that it won't push for another extension of the production tax credit. Finally, he discusses the Solar Energy Industries Association's latest quarterly report on solar energy.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday Podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, begins with the general news section, where he talks about a report on what will be included in President Donald Trump's 2018 federal budget proposal that will be released this week. He also discusses what the Senate majority leader said last week about the timeline for tax reform and how it differs from what was said by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. In low-income housing tax credit news, he discusses two housing reports. One is from the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell, who introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act with Sen. Orrin Hatch last week. The other housing report is by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. After that, he talks about what the District of Columbia is doing to address uncertainty in the low-income housing tax credit equity market. In new markets tax credit news, he provides a cosponsor update on the New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2017. He closes out with the historic tax credit section, where he shares some important guidance issued by the National Park Service about functionally related buildings in multiple-building projects. He also gives highlights of the annual National Park Service report on the historic tax credit, including a record that was set in 2016. And he concludes with information about a Nebraska LB 475, a bill introduced to end the state historic tax credit.'

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday Podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, begins with the general section, where he discusses the work in store for Congress when it reconvenes next month, after the elections. He also outlines the options for passing a spending package and how tax extenders fit into the agenda. In the low-income housing tax credit section, he discusses what kind of tax relief is available for areas affected by Hurricane Matthew. Then, he shares a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition on how the shortage of housing choice vouchers and public housing units points to the importance of the low-income housing tax credit. In new markets tax credit news, he talks about when the $7 billion new markets tax credit allocation announcement is expected and what listeners can do to prepare for the upcoming round. In the historic tax credit section, he details a chief council advice memorandum released by the IRS requiring a pass-through entity in a historic tax credit transaction to file the Form 3468 used to claim the credit. 'And, he closes out with renewable energy tax credit news, where he shares renewable energy tax credit regulation changes in one of the top wind power producing states in the country, Iowa.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday Podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, begins with the general news section, where he shares an invitation from the Treasury Department to comment on the Capital Magnet Fund application process and annual report. He also touches on what representatives from the IRS, Treasury and CDFI Fund had to say recently about the lowincome housing tax credit, new markets tax credit and historic tax credit. In the low-income housing tax credit section, he discusses the National Low Income Housing Coalition's report on some of the reasons why affordable housing is out of reach for a growing number of renter households. He then previews the State of the Nation's Housing report, which will be released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies this month. In state housing news, he discusses one California bill that could make the state low-income housing tax credit more attractive to investors. In new markets tax credit news, he shares the latest Qualified Equity Investment issuance report and how much allocation authority has been issued to investors in the past month. In the historic tax credit section, he discusses what one Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration audit found about oversight of historic rehabilitation tax credit claims. And he closes out with renewable energy tax credit news, where he provides a leadership update from the Solar Energy Industries Association.

According to an annual report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Connecticut is home to the eighth-priciest rental market in the nation.The average amount needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment is now a staggering $24.29 per hour. For a person making minimum wage, that means working 106 hours each week. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, begins by talking about the president's budget request for fiscal year 2016 and what his proposals could mean for the tax credit community. Then, he discusses the Congressional Budget Office's budget and economic outlook for the years 2015 through 2025. He also talks about the new subcommittee leaders of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. In the low-income housing tax credit section, he discusses the Housing Trust Fund interim rule that HUD published last week. He also discusses the estimated allocations from the Housing Trust Fund, as projected by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. In related news, he briefly mentions a bill that was introduced in Congress that would prevent Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from funding the Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund while they're under conservatorship. Next, he provides information about a webcast and a webinar that are coming up this week on tax exempt bonds and low-income housing tax credit compliance. He closes the section with news of Buzz Roberts, who is leaving the U.S. Treasury Department to head the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders. In new markets tax credit news, he shares some details about a new bill that's about to be introduced that would make the new markets tax credit a permanent part of the tax code. Then, he discusses a new bill in California that would create a $200 million state New Markets Tax Credit program. In historic tax credit news, he addresses a memo issued by the IRS and what it clarifies for Section 50(d) income. Following that, he shares state-level news items about the historic tax credit programs in Rhode Island and Iowa. In the renewable energy tax credit section, he discusses what Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado recently had to say about extending the production tax credit. He closes with news of a bill that was introduced in Oklahoma to reduce the state production tax credit.

In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, starts off with an outlook on the potential for tax reform in 2015. He also shares news about a potential change in leadership for the Joint Committee on Taxation and certain change in leadership for the Congressional Budget Office. In the low-income housing tax credit section, he addresses HUD's clarification to prevailing wage rules for the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. He also discusses HUD's year-end review of its programs. Next he reviews the National Low Income Housing Coalition's report on how well federal programs address the housing needs of extremely low-income households. In the new markets tax credit segment, he talks about the importance of the New Markets Tax Credit program to rural communities, particularly in terms of health care services and job creation. In historic tax credit news, he provides state-level updates regarding awards announcements under the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, as well as a new Nebraska state historic tax credit program that will begin accepting applications this week. Finally, he discusses two reports that call for a more coherent and predictable energy policy.

In this week's episode of the Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, mentions the return of the House and Senate, as well as a speech from Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew about tax reform. In new markets tax credit news, he provides information on the 2014 NMTC application guidance and Sen. Wyden's support of the NMTC program, as well as a California new markets tax credit bill. In low-income housing tax credit news, he explores the National Low Income Housing Coalition's report, "Housing Spotlight: The Affordable rental Housing Gap Persists." In historic tax credit news, he reviews the Historic Tax Credit Coalition's letter to the Internal Revenue Service regarding Section 50(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, reports on Connecticut's revision of its historic tax credit program and discusses the possible creation of a California historic tax credit program.

Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, discusses a recent colloquy on the Senate floor that has direct implications for the future of tax extenders in the context of tax reform. He also shares an update on the federal budget process. Then, he discusses the status of the new markets tax credit extension and last week's votes on energy tax extenders. He also discusses new guidance released by the IRS on Section 1603 cash grants, and state news from Florida. Next, he shares the apartment industry's legislative priorities for the year and examines a bill introduced in Congress that is related to the redevelopment agency saga in California. Finally, he shares some findings from the most recent Out of Reach report published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.