Federal Policy | May 1, 2020
City Halls and State Capitols Are Stepping Up with Rental Assistance. Where Are the Feds?
Over the last several weeks, we have discussed at length the interventions at the federal level necessary to keep people in their homes and ensure rent is paid on time. The Emergency Rental Assistance Act of 2020, sponsored by Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), is one proposal we support that would provide direct rental assistance to millions […]
Federal Policy | April 24, 2020
Congress Must Pass Emergency Rental Assistance
On Thursday morning, the Department of Labor announced the latest number of unemployment benefit claims filed across the country. An additional 4.4 million Americans filed claims, bringing the total to 26.4 million Americans filing for unemployment since the COVID-19 crisis began. It’s a staggering number – approximately 20% of the entire American workforce, and exceeding the […]
Guest Post | April 17, 2020
To Say No to Fossil Fuels, Environmentalists Must Say Yes to Housing
Editor’s Note: In advance of Earth Day, we asked two of our members, Urban Environmentalists and Abundant Housing LA, to contribute an Insights Report focused on the intersection of environmental stewardship and housing policy. We hope you enjoy the insights from Joanna Gubman, Zack Subin, and Phillip Kobernick with Urban Environmentalists and Anthony Dedousis with Abundant Housing LA. […]
Analysis | April 10, 2020
Density Will Be a Strength as America Recovers from COVID-19
Though we are weeks away from many American cities and states “bending the curve” on new COVID-19 cases, a popular argument has emerged – primarily among those already skeptical of cities – that the global pandemic should make us rethink a push towards denser development. It’s a point-of-view that is easy to digest: when combatting […]
Federal Policy | April 3, 2020
After the CARES Act, What’s Next for Housing?
As we discussed in last week’s insights post, the CARES Act contains several provisions that either directly or indirectly address housing. The $2.2-trillion legislation directs money to housing programs for low-income Americans, while providing expanded Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to the millions of Americans now out of work. For many of these beneficiaries, housing was […]
Federal Policy | March 26, 2020
COVID-19 Economic Relief Passes the Senate. How Does Housing Fare?
On Wednesday, March 25, the Senate released and later unanimously passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act – a $2.2 trillion stimulus designed to stave off the worst of COVID-19-related economic fallout. The centerpiece of the legislation is direct funding for businesses hurt by the sudden loss of revenue, additional resources for the […]
| March 20, 2020
Housing is Particularly Susceptible during COVID-19. How Should Congress Address These Challenges?
The United States’ already broken housing ecosystem is facing even more strain as the COVID-19 crisis continues to threaten public health and economic well-being. Despite years of huge economic growth, in the last decade housing starts were at some of the lowest levels in history. For a variety of reasons that we’ve documented over the […]
Analysis | March 13, 2020
Washington Legislature Overwhelmingly Approves Extension of Key Housing Affordability Legislation
This week, the Washington State House of Representatives and Senate passed one of Up for Growth Washington’s key legislative priorities: extending the state’s Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE), which preserves affordable units in mixed-income communities. The legislation, HB 2950, passed by a 93-4 vote in the House and 42-7 vote in the Senate, signaling broad bipartisan […]
Federal Policy | March 6, 2020
Funding the Housing Trust Fund is Critical to Comprehensively Addressing our National Housing Shortage and Affordability Crisis
As the United States grapples with a massive housing crisis – a 7.3-million home shortage, as found in Up for Growth research – federal leaders are seeking innovative solutions to alleviate the burden that such a significant lack of affordable homes places on American families and individuals. One such piece of legislation is H.R. 5599, the Fulfilling […]
Analysis | February 28, 2020
Solutions to the Housing Crisis Come in All Sizes – Including Small Homes
When we talk about solving the housing crisis, we often focus on how to increase zoning to allow for more housing options – primarily multifamily developments, cottage clusters, duplexes, triplexes, etc. Indeed, this type of construction uses less land to house more families of all income levels and should be options for the communities most […]
Federal Policy | February 24, 2020
State and Local Momentum Underscores Need for H.R. 4351, the Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act
As we’ve written in previous insights posts, 2019 was a banner year for housing policy in cities and states across the country. Oregon’s HB 2001 and Minneapolis 2040 earned much-deserved national recognition for ending exclusively single-family only zoning across much of their jurisdictions. These reforms continue to inspire other states seeking similar changes to their zoning laws – Washington, Nebraska, and Virginia, […]
