Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 356 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Taxing empty apartments could ease the housing crisis

Adele Peters

February 12, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

Cities with large numbers of empty apartments look to Vancouver's apartment tax, which taxes owners for unused apartment space. After the tax was put in place, the number of unoccupied apartments in Vancouver went down, and the city raised $38 million in tax revenue - most of which will go to affordable housing programs.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Baltimore enacts new rules to root out squalid rental properties. But some tenants could lose their homes

Doug Donovan

February 07, 2019 |

The Baltimore Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore passed a law that cracks down on rental property owners that have been operating without required inspection, leaving renters living in squalor. While critics fear that owners and landlords may lose business, advocates note that living conditions have drastically improved for those renting homes in these buildings.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Nigeria, documentary films spark social change

Innocent Eteng

February 07, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Port Harcourt

A local, grass-roots art project in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, spreads awareness about and encourages action against government-sponsored evictions in the city's low-income communities. Cinematic films, music, and journalistic storytelling help spread the humanity and character of the communities to appeal to government entities to let people stay.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Sen. Bennet: Collaboration that led to CORE Act could model a cure for “partisan disease” ailing politics

Jason Blevins

February 01, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Politicians and community leaders across Colorado take legislative creation out of Washington and into the areas they're trying to protect. Stakeholders around the state, many of whom disagree socially and politically, worked together to create a measure to protect 400,000 acres of public land while factoring in ways to maintain economic success.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Adding density: Project tests if city changes have made backyard apartments more attainable

Abby Lynes

January 27, 2019 |

Bozeman Daily Chronicle |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

Community members in Bozeman work with students at Montana State University and city officials to test the sustainability and practicality of backyard apartments, or ADUs. Though high costs and historic value could be obstacles for home-owners, these studio and one-bedroom apartments offer a space-saving solution to Bozeman's housing shortage.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has a $500 million plan to ease the Bay Area housing crisis

Eillie Anzilotti

January 24, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Several large philanthropic organizations, like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Ford Foundation, are pooling resources to address San Francisco's severe housing crisis. The funds will go to local non-profits who are buying up property to stabilize rent and to localities to establish rent-control and tenant protection policies. Known as Partnership for the Bay’s Future, the venture hopes to eventually ensure housing for 175,000 families over five years.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'Shared equity' model for U.S. housing boosts home ownership for poorer families

Gregory Scruggs

January 21, 2019 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

A community land trust in North Carolina uses a "shared equity" model to help minority and low income people obtain access to affordable housing. The trust owns the land underneath the house, therefore holding onto the majority of the wealth of the property and allowing homes to be sold below market value.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Proposed Gun Bill: Extreme Risk Protection Order

Megan Kamerick

January 18, 2019 |

KNME-PBS |

Broadcast TV Programs |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

Eleven states in the United States have implemented some version of “red flag laws" which aim to remove guns from those that are showing signs of imminent threat. With studies showing that these bipartisan laws are having a successful impact in the states where they are enforced, New Mexico is now looking to also implement similar policy changes during the next legislative session.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Durham County Dismisses Hundreds of Traffic Fines as Part of a License Restoration Effort

Sarah Willets

January 15, 2019 |

INDY Week |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

Durham County relieved hundreds of outstanding traffic fines in an effort to restore suspended driver's licenses. The program, called Durham Expungement and Restoration (DEAR), "identified more than 11,000 people eligible to have outstanding fines dropped" from charges resulting from court absence or inability to pay a traffic ticket.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Everyone's a victim

Angela K. Evans

January 10, 2019 |

Boulder Weekly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder

Having your identity stolen, especially a social security number, is frightening and can have far reaching consequences for everyone involved; while some of the people who commit identity theft have malicious intents, some are undocumented people who are seeking work to make a living. A new program in Boulder, Colorado is using restorative justice practices to help mediate between and humanize the two parties and, hopefully, minimize long-term consequences for those in a tight spot.

Read More
Go to Original Story