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With no upfront costs, this innovative financing tool makes energy efficiency affordable to all

Nate Berg

February 26, 2019 |

Ensia |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Aulander, North Carolina

North Carolina’s Roanoke Electric Cooperative is helping members bring down energy costs. Because the energy costs in this area is due to a lack of energy efficiency, the cooperative offers tariffed on-billing to help homes offset expenses like insulation and new heat pumps. The tariffed on-billing uses federal loans to pay for said expenses, and then the customer pays the tariff charge in their bill – which ends up being lower because of the energy efficient upgrades.

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Keeping Affordability in Focus As Columbus Revitalization Picks up Steam

Jared Brey

February 19, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio aims to make housing more affordable by enacting he Central Ohio Community Land Trust; the community land trust uses ideas from other national affordable financing models to ensure low-income Columbus residents can afford safe, clean housing. The land trust keeps housing affordable in neighborhoods where rents are steadily rising in an effort to create equitable mixed-income communities.

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Cities across Colorado saw how gentrification impacted Denver. They're trying to avoid the same pitfalls.

Kevin Simpson

February 06, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fort Collins, Colorado

As gentrification drives involuntary displacement in Denver, Colorado, the city planners elsewhere in Colorado aim to avoid the same fate by instituting policy safeguards. Fort Collins has put in extra protection for mobile home parks, one of the only viable housing options for low-income residents, and another city program controls utility costs.

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'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.

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Denver Is Testing Housing Vouchers For Middle-Income Workers. Austin Will Be Watching.

Audrey McGlinchy

November 14, 2018 |

KUT |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Housing voucher programs provide assistance to those who make too much to qualify for Section 8 housing, but whose wages can’t keep up with rent in their cities. Denver, Colorado, is addressing the financial burden of skyrocketing rents by providing middle-income earners such as teachers and healthcare workers with housing assistance. Funded through a public-private partnership, the two-year pilot program allows applicants to search online for landlords that have agreed to accept the vouchers.

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San Francisco startup wants to help Bellevue teachers buy their homes

Neal Morton

October 19, 2018 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Bellevue, Washington

Landed will pay for half a teacher's down payment on a home in exchange for a quarter of profits when the house is sold down the line. The San Francisco-based startup has recently arrived in Bellevue, where the median home price is hovering around $1 million.

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Family gets ‘stability, security, a place to call home,' thanks to Conshohocken developer's new charity

Lini Kadaba

August 15, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

How Charities - the non-profit arm of the How Group development company - is working with families to provide affordable housing in Philadelphia. The group partnered with Habitat for Humanity's Homeownership program and plans to "deliver 10 homes a year by 2023."

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Anti-poverty crusaders fight to cut taxes for mobile-home owners

Alfred Lubrano

August 11, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Honey Brook, Pennsylvania

For low-income people living in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, the Honey Brook Food Pantry does more than provide food aid; it's also a hub to get assistance applying for food stamps, and perhaps most uniquely, a place to learn about property taxes on mobile homes. The owners of the food bank have also helped their clients find out if they're overpaying property taxes on their mobile home, an adjustment that can massively help them save.

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To fix its housing woes, should California look to Seattle?

Matt Levin

July 26, 2018 |

CalMatters |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In response to the rapidly developing Seattle housing crisis, the city has begun to rezone single-family housing as high-rise apartment buildings and create accessible public transportation in redeveloped areas. Though this fastest-growing city in the country has a long way to go in the fight for affordable housing, the Bay Area cities can look to these rent-stabilizing solutions as possible responses to their own housing crisis.

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This Philly housing project helps residents double their income

Michaela Winberg

June 12, 2018 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

By offering flexible rent, a Philadelphia nonprofit allows low-income residents to attain economic success. Financed through an initial endowment, the Women’s Community Revitalization Projected is sustained by support from independent donations and Philadelphia’s low-income housing tax credits. In addition to offering affordable housing and residents’ services to Philadelphia’s low-income women and families, the WCRP also operates a community land trust to help address future development concerns in the city.

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