Shelterforce

Shelterforce

Shelterforce is nonprofit and independent publication that covers topics from community planning to racial equity, affordable housing to the future of community development, and how policy intersects with it all. Here you can listen to authors read their latest Shelterforce articles, as well as our interviews with folks on the ground. For more, go to shelterforce.org. To support our nonprofit newsroom, make a tax-deductible donation at https://bit.ly/Donate2Shelterforce.

Episodes

Trump’s Big Ugly Bill Is a Loss for Housing

July 10, 2025 • 4 mins
The tax bill includes a significant expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. However, its other provisions, especially cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, are so harmful that the affordable housing field should not be celebrating. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute explains. Read the full op-ed at https://shelterforce.org/2025/07/02/trumps-big-ugly-bill-is-a-loss-for-housing/
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After a Six-Year Struggle, Tenants in Boston’s Mattapan Neighborhood Win Permanent Affordability

July 9, 2025 • 11 mins
When a new owner imposed sharp rent hikes in 2018, tenants organized and fought back. Now, more than 300 housing units will be affordable for the foreseeable future. Here’s how the tenants made it happen. Reporting by Sandra Larson; read by John Ludas.
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What Happens If Trump Kills Section 8?

July 3, 2025 • 15 mins
The Trump administration wants to nearly halve funding for federal rental assistance and make the states figure out how to distribute what’s left. Tenants, landlords, and housing providers say the fallout would be catastrophic, spiking homelessness and destabilizing communities. Shelby R. King reports.
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Researchers are Using AI to Get a Clearer Picture of Housing in the U.S.

July 2, 2025 • 16 mins
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though they are still error prone, these AI tools save time, and housing researchers are optimistic about the future. Reporting by Franklin Schneider; read by John Ludas.
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What’s Missing From HUD’s Shrunken Website?

July 1, 2025 • 5 mins
HUD's new website is missing many of the resources that users relied on, including much of its archived content. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute gives us a look at what's changed, and why she believes the revamp was actually a way to cover for a drastic whitewashing operation. Read the op-ed here: https://shelterforce.org/2025/06/24/whats-missing-from-huds-shrunken-website/
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How Affordable Housing Providers Are Embracing Tech to Manage Housing

June 26, 2025 • 13 mins
New software and web-based applications help speed up the recertification process for voucher holders, give tenants an easier way to request repairs and communicate with staff, and help disabled residents live more independent lives. Shelterforce's Jill Webb reports. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2025/06/26/how-affordable-housing-providers-are-embracing-tech-to-manage-housing/
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Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments Are Fixed. Advocates Disagree

June 25, 2025 • 11 mins
With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system. Listen to "Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments Are Fixed. Advocates Disagree." Reporting for this story is by Roshan Abraham; read by Lara Heard.
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Training AI to Tackle Bias in the Mortgage Industry

June 19, 2025 • 20 mins
As the mortgage industry becomes further automated, can artificial intelligence be trained to avoid replicating historic bias and expand access to loans for excluded borrowers? Some housing advocates are cautiously optimistic. Shelterforce's Frances Nguyen reports. Read the full story here: https://shelterforce.org/2025/06/19/training-ai-to-tackle-bias-in-the-mortgage-industry/
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Tech Tools Help Tenants Push Back Against Problematic Landlords

June 17, 2025 • 19 mins
We’ve found more than a dozen examples of tenant-serving technology that help renters identify landlords, respond to eviction, fight back against housing discrimination, and more. Sandra Larson reports for Shelterforce.
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Missouri Tenants Sue Owners Who They Say Broke Rules in Exiting Tax Credit Program

June 13, 2025 • 14 mins
In Springfield, Missouri, tenants have filed a lawsuit against the past and present owners of their tax credit–financed properties, claiming that in exercising an opt-out provision they violated both state and federal requirements. Listen to, "Missouri Tenants Sue Owners Who They Say Broke Rules in Exiting Tax Credit Program," written by Hope Davis; read by Frank Navarrrete. Check out the story at https://shelterforce.org/2025/06/...
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Tenant Screening: A Billion-Dollar Industry with Little Oversight

June 11, 2025 • 17 mins
Thousands of companies offer tenant screening tools that promise to make life easier for landlords and property managers. But reports show that the data these companies use is often riddled with errors and relies on information that has no bearing on whether someone will be a good tenant. Amanda Abrams reports. Read the full story at: https://shelterforce.org/2025/06/11/tenant-screening-a-billion-dollar-industry-with-little-oversi...
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Tech’s Rising Influence on Housing

June 10, 2025 • 7 mins
Shelterforce’s new Under the Lens series—How Tech Is Changing Housing—explores the growing use of technology in the housing world. Can the proper guardrails can be put in place so “innovative” tools don’t make the housing crisis worse? Lillian Ortiz, Shelterforce's managing editor, breaks down what you can expect in the series. Read the editor's note at: https://shelterforce.org/2025/06/10/techs-rising-influence-on-housing/
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Our Silence Will Not Protect Us

June 6, 2025 • 11 mins
Keeping our heads down and our language inoffensive is not the right response to the times we’re in, says Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. Solidarity and courage is. Yentel spoke at Shelterforce's 50th anniversary celebration and conference this past April, and her message was so crucial that we wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to listen to it. Read an excerpt of Diane's message here...
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Porches, Pets, and the People We Grow Old With

June 4, 2025 • 7 mins
In Utah, a new project called Paws & Porchlight aims to provide affordable housing for older adults and their pets. The concept is simple: Twelve small houses—each no more than 600 square feet—arranged in a walkable layout along a central garden path. Each home would have its own porch, a small yard, and shared access to a dog run, a trail, and other kinds of everyday infrastructure that makes growing old feel less lonely. Jeffrey ...
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Housing as a Public Good: The State of Social Housing Today

May 29, 2025 • 88 mins
What do we mean by social housing in the United States? How has it worked in the past, and how can and should it be expanded? Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute and NPQ's Steve Dubb co-host, "Housing as a Public Good: The State of Social Housing Today." The conversation took place earlier this month, but we wanted to reshare the audio for those who either missed the webinar, or want to listen to the discussion again. If you'd like t...
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Affordable Housing Finance 101

May 28, 2025 • 10 mins
The financial intricacies involved in building affordable housing can be difficult to understand. Hanneke van Deursen, the director of housing finance for the City of Chattanooga, breaks down the foundational concepts. Read the explainer at https://shelterforce.org/2025/05/28/affordable-housing-finance-101/
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In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues

May 22, 2025 • 3 mins
On Tuesday, May 20, tenants and housing advocates across the country took to the streets for a National Day of Action on Housing. Shelterforce's Miriam Axel-Lute reports on Albany, New York's rally, and explains other actions that took place across the country. Check out our website for some amazing photos from rallies in six cities: https://shelterforce.org/2025/05/22/photos-in-over-a-dozen-cities-housing-activists-connect-hud-c...
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Art of Protest, performed by LindoYES!

May 16, 2025 • 3 mins
For more than two years, residents of Philadelphia’s Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods protested a plan to build a new arena for the Philadelphia 76ers on top of a local transit stop. Despite widespread opposition, the proposal appeared to be moving forward with the city’s blessing. But it fell apart in early 2025, when the team’s owners decided to build new in their current location in South Philadelphia. Here, local poet ...
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What’s Happened With Housing Since Trump Came Into Office

May 15, 2025 • 1 min
A note about our running list of major federal housing actions since Trump took office on Jan. 20 2025. Read about all the major actions here: https://shelterforce.org/2025/05/12/whats-happened-with-housing-since-trump-came-into-office/
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"The Parade," Works of Social Commentary by Philly-Based Spiral Q

May 2, 2025 • 2 mins
New Jersey's Grounds for Sculpture exhibited works by Spiral Q, a Philadelphia organization that mixes art and social commentary. Reporting by Lara Heard Read the story and see the photos at: https://shelterforce.org/2025/04/29/art-the-parade-works-of-social-commentary-by-philly-based-spiral-q/
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