General News
America’s Sordid History of Exclusionary Zoning
The Counselors of Real Estate published an article by James Burling, vice president of legal affairs at Pacific Legal Foundation, on America’s Sordid History of Exclusionary Zoning. Burling traces the history state-sponsored, racially motivated exclusionary housing laws via George McMechen’s efforts to obtain a home in the suburbs.
CHP Responds to California State Auditor’s Report
“We agree with the State Auditor that California must develop and implement a long-term, comprehensive and coordinated plan to house those who are experiencing homelessness and lack access to affordable homes. While the claim in the November 2020 audit that $2.7B in tax-exempt bonds were wasted oversimplifies the program mechanics and ignores the economic conditions at the time, what’s critical now — when housing bond demand exceeds supply by more than two-to-one — is that the state allocate all remaining bond issuance authority to affordable housing.”
JCHS to Release 2020 State of the Nation’s Housing Report Tomorrow
The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies will release its annual State of the Nation’s Housing Report on November 19 and host a release event from 4-5 p.m. ET.
JCHS: Common-Sense GSE Reform Recommendations for the Biden Administration
Don Layton authored a new paper with Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, What Should We Do with the GSEs? Common-Sense Reform Recommendations for the Biden Administration. Layton concludes that the new administration, if it is to successfully address the GSE question, must follow one of two possible paths in the next twelve to twenty-four months.
Harvard/AARP Report Finds Most Seniors Do Not Reside in Livable Communities
Most older Americans do not reside in livable communities, according to a joint report from the Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies and the AARP Public Policy institute. The report said most seniors do not reside in places that score high on AARP’s Livability Index, which measures economic and social environments among other factors.
Will The GSEs Be Attractive Enough To Equity Investors For A Successful Recapitalization?
A new blog and paper by Don Layton with the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University explore whether the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) plans and actions are consistent with making the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, the Government Sponsored Enterprises or GSEs) attractive enough to equity investors, and – given the need to raise such unprecedentedly large amounts of equity – to do so globally and broadly.
Philadelphia Fed Estimates an Accumulation of $7.2 Million in Back Rent by December 2020
A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Household Rental Debt During COVID-19, estimates that by December 2020, 1.3 million renter households will owe $7.2 billion in rent, which is around $5,400 each.
Mayor de Blasio Partially Restores HPD Cuts
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced restoration of $466 million of housing cuts in FY2021 to the city’s department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Mayor de Blasio’s decision to reverse course and restore HPD’s 2021 capital budget will produce roughly 11,000 units of affordable housing, at a time when those homes are […]
Philadelphia Fed Updates Rental Housing Affordability Data Tool
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia updated its Rental Housing Affordability Data Tool for households in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. The newly updated data suggest that housing insecurity was widespread among lower-income renters in the Third District even prior to the Coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic downturn.
NLHA Report on the Impacts of COVID-19 On Affordable Housing Providers
A new report from the National Leased Housing Association warns, “in the long run, the negative impacts on housing providers, if not addressed, will result in lower housing supply, reduced renter mobility and foregone benefits to low- and moderate-income communities. However, if housing providers can recover financially and restore investments in new housing developments, including affordable housing, the industry can play an important role in the economic recovery from COVID-19.”
BPC Report: Providing Stable, Healthy and Affordable Rental Housing Through the COVID-19 Crisis
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Housing and Infrastructure Project released federal policy recommendations designed to dramatically reduce the number of working families with destabilizing rent burdens and at risk of eviction, minimize the number of people experiencing homelessness, and prevent further spread of COVID-19.
CDFI Fund Awards $204.1 Million via CDFI, NACA Programs
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) awarded 397 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) $204.1 million in awards.