Magazine Archives

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  Hearts of the Neighborhood — Fall 2012

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  Voting Block: Neighborhood Voting Rights — Summer 2012

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  Are our neighborhoods making us sick? — Spring 2012

  Are our neighborhoods making us sick? The spring 2012 issue explores, through a variety of angles, the intersections between health and housing and how organizations, from foundations to CBOs, are taking steps toward measurable, positive health outcomes. Featuring: Better Together, by David Erickson and Nancy O. Andrews; Housing First, by Nan Roman and Lisa Stand; Foreclosing on Our Health, by Rachel Blake; Breathing Easier; Taking Health Into Account, by Aaron Wernham; California’s New Environmental Movement, by Catherine Lerza; Healthy Yards with Youth in Charge, by Asa Needle, Jonathan Rodrigues, and Matt Feinstein; The Intersection of Health Philanthropy and Housing, by Marjorie Paloma; Prescription for a New Neighborhood, by Phil Tegeler and Salimah Hankins; Unsorting Our Cities, by Mindy Thompson Fullilove; Interview: Sen. Robert Menendez, by Miriam Axel-Lute, Matthew Brian Hersh, and Harold Simon; Organize! Big Island Organizing, by Stephen Boykewich; The Answer.

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  Strange Bedfellows — Winter 2011

  Strange Bedfellows: Can capital markets serve neighborhood stabilization? We examine new relationships and new ways of thinking that are emerging around the idea of bringing together capital markets and neighborhood stabilization. Featuring: Capital Markets and Neighborhood Stabilization, by Miriam Axel-Lute; Distressed Mortgages for Sale, by George Ostendorf; Going Upstream, by Miriam Axel-Lute; Interview with Ron Faris, Ocwen CEO, by Harold Simon; Stabilizing Urban Neighborhoods, Q&A with Elyse Cherry; The Hard Part, by Miriam Axel-Lute and Matthew Brian Hersh; Tackling the Challenge of Scattered-Site Rentals, by Kat Aaron; Banking on Neighborhood Stabilization, by Dan Kildee; Relaxing the Credit Crunch, by Matt Chapuran; A Blueprint for Responsible Homeownership, by Judy Jacobson; Interview with Sister Lillian Murphy, Mercy Housing CEO, by Harold Simon; Occupy and Community Organizing, essays by Michael Kane, Steve Meacham, and Mark Winston Griffith (online only); Recovering from the Recovery, a film review of Land of Opportunity, by Kalima Rose.

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  Holding Banks Accountable — Fall 2011

  Shelterforce 167, Fall 2011. *In the Courts & on the Streets: Holding Banks Accountable*, featuring our “The New Bottom Line,” by Stephen Lerner and George Goehl; “The Unlikely Activists,” by Amy Schur; “The Sword and the Shield,” by Melvyn Colon; “The People’s Court,” by Kermit Lind; and “The Human Right to Housing,” by Maria Foscarinis. Second cover package, *Making Green Affordable and Affordable Green*, includes “Smart at the Roots,” by Ina Anderson and André Leroux; “Leading the Way to Green,” by Celia Slater; “Transit-Oriented Preservation,” by Michael Bodaken and Todd Nedwick; “Smart Can Be Affordable,” by Alex Goldschmidt; and “Green Is Affordable,” by Noreen Beatley. Finally, this issue includes our interview with Nicolas P. Retsinas, a senior lecturer in real estate at the Harvard Business School and director emeritus of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, as well as our Organize! column on transit organizing in St. Louis.

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  Thirty-Sixth Anniversary Issue — Summer 2011

  It’s Shelterforce’s 36th Anniversary! In this issue, we feature perspectives from young community developers, all under 36, looking at the past, present, and future of community development as well as a package of essays, “6 Ideas to Reshape Housing Policy,” that look at ideas beyond the regular policy tweaks. ALSO: Conrad Egan interview; “Filling the Lending Vacuum,” by Marcus Weiss; “CLTs Go Commercial,” by Miriam Axel-Lute; “More Mission,” by Carol Wayman; “It’s All About Choice,” by Staci Horwitz; “Making Light Rail Stop for Us,” by Traci Babler; AND print-exclusive content.

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  The Work Continues … And the Vision Expands — Spring 2011

  Our fair housing issue expands upon our housing policy interview series with HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity John Trasviña. Also, “Equity Is Not Optional” by Angela Glover Blackwell; Counterpoint: The Housing + Transportation Index and Fair Housing, by Phil Tegeler and Scott Bernstein; “Integrating Schools Is a Matter of Housing Policy” by Heather Schwartz; “Fighting Predatory Equity” by Dina Levy; “Saving the Birthplace of Hip-Hop” by James Fergusson; “Planning on Shrinking” by Deborah E. Popper and Frank J. Popper; “Where Do We Fit In? CDCs and the Emerging Shrinking City Movement” by Alan Mallach. Book Review: “Contesting Community: The Limits and Potential of Local Organizing.” Review by Jan Briedenbach

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  Affordable Housing & Transit-Oriented Development — Winter 2010

  Our transit-oriented development issue features a trio of articles on Atlanta, where the Atlanta BeltLine has spurred a creative idea on how to bring community land trusts to scale. We also feature an overview of TOD projects and how equity advocates are helping to shape plans. This issue also continues our HUD interview series as we talk with Deputy Secretary Ron Sims. ALSO: permanent affordability and asset building; lease-purchase; the plague of nonprofits; and a book review of Pierre Clavel’s Activists in City Hall.

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  The Road to Neighborhood Stabilization — Fall 2010

  In this issue, we look at some key rule changes by way federal regulations, as well as what’s happening at the local level, to see if we’re actually making progress, or just treading water. NSP at Halftime: As NSP3 gets underway and the NSP1 obligation period comes to a close, Shelterforce looks back at NSP so far. We also feature interviews with two HUD assistant secretaries, Mercedes Marquez and Raphael Bostic; Responsible investors; HAMP Is Not Enough; CLTs, delinquencies, and foreclosure; HMDA at 35; Insurance Redlining; Urban agriculture.

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  Will HUD’s Public Housing Plan Lead to Preservation or Privatization? — Summer 2010

  Private Money, Public Housing: Will PETRA Work? Will the administration’s $350 million public housing reform initiative, PETRA, be a welcome effort, a work in progress, or a “formal divestment” from public housing? In this issue of _Shelterforce_, we have several important voices weighing in on the proposal. *ALSO*: Q&A With John Atlas: NHI Board President John Atlas talks about his new book, Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America’s Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group; A Tale of Two Markets; Fighting Toxic Mortgages in Court; Foreclosure Task Forces; Cleveland’s Evergreen Coops; Battling for Wards in New Jersey’s Hub City.

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  Organizing After ACORN — Spring 2010

  Shelterforce takes a look at the post-ACORN world of organizing. Randy Stoecker of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in “Has the Fight Gone Out of Organizing?” looks at why organizing is back on the defensive following what appeared to be a 2008 triumph. Rutgers’ James DeFillippis, et al, examine how community groups can make a difference by going beyond community boundaries in “What Kind of Community Organizations and for What Purpose?” UC-Davis’s Michael McQuarrie looks at Cleveland’s ESOP in a call for more confrontational organizing. NHI’s John Atlas assesses the massive media fail when it came to ACORN, and London CITIZENS’s David Smith looks at how how his group organized for affordable housing across the pond. ALSO: Interview with Barney Frank; PETRA; Volunteerism in community development; New Jersey’s affordable housing policy; disappearing USPS branches; book review of the Community Land Trust Reader

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  Interview With HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan — Fall/Winter 2009

  Shelterforce interview HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and profiles the team that put HUD back on the map again; a Unified Voice for the Nonprofit Housing Development Field; Sense of Place: the Bronx, DC’s Columbia Heights, and NJ’s Orange look at the past, while looking forward; Making Collaborations Work: Chicago, Twin Cities, and Boston; CLT: A Model for All Markets?; Tackling Bank Walkaways and Vulture Investors; Right to Rent; Faith-Based Organizing; Youth in Organizing.

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  Xavier De Souza Briggs — Fall 2009

  Shelterforce interviews Xavier de Souza Briggs: Briggs, an associate director at the White House’s influential Office of Management and Budget, discusses the philosophies and politics of urban revitalization and the nuts and bolts of community development; “A 21st Century Vision for Community Development”: Can CDCs stay ahead of the curve? By Joe Kriesberg; “How to Achieve a More Efficient CDC”: Balance and flexibility are necessary for survival. By Jane DeMarines; “What Does the Future Hold For Fannie and Freddie?”: Even under conservatorship, the mortgage giants still wield significant influence. By Barry Zigas; “In Pursuit of a Responsible Homeownership Policy”: How can we make homeownership safer for a greater number of Americans? By Reid Cramer; “The Housing Downturn”: Daniel McCue of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies looks at the impact of the downturn on low-income and minority families; “The Stimulus: Making Sense of It All”: Leading voices in community development weigh in through a series of essays; Book Review: SEIU’s Stephen Lerner reviews Wage Theft in America by Kim Bobo; Organize!: Preserving a Tacoma, Wash. landmark for affordable housing. By Erik Hanberg.

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  Abandoned! — Spring 2009

  Neighborhood Stabilization and the Foreclosure Crisis. “Operation Neighborhood Recovery”: A first-in-the-nation purchase of nonperforming mortgages by a nonprofit for neighborhood stabilization in New Jersey, by Matthew Brian Hersh; “Homeownership Done Right”: An educated consumer is the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance’s best customer, by David Holtzman; “Fighting Foreclosure on All Fronts”: Cook County, Ill. Sheriff Tom Dart made headlines when he refused to evict tenants whose building was foreclosed upon, but journalist Kari Lydersen explores that story and other efforts in Chicago to keep tenants in their homes. Also: Paterson, New Jersey’s Great Falls; Fair Lending in the “Age of Obama”; HUD/DOT Sustainable Communities Initiative; and Saving Houston’s Allen Parkway Village.

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  Coming Up for Air — Winter 2008

  Coming Up for Air: What Housing and Community Developer Practitioners Need to Know to Survive the Economic Deluge. Articles include: “Brave New World For Nonprofits” by Rick Cohen; “Taking the Bull by the Horns,” by James Carr; “Homes That Last” by John Emmeus Davis; “Do or Die for Nonprofits” by Pablo Eisenberg; “The Housing Change We Need” by Peter Marcuse; “Riding the Storm Out” by Peter Werwath; and more.

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  Memos on How to Make Change — Fall 2008

  From the Grass Roots to the Oval Office: Some of the nation’s leading community development thinkers and practitioners weigh in on key issues leading up to the 2008 presidential election, from Xavier de Souza Briggs’ take on urban policy to Gregory Squires’ vision for a fair housing agenda. Also, “Trading Bullets for a Better Future” by Matthew Brian Hersh, and “What’s the Matter With Newark?” by Julia Rabig.

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  What Green Means for Communities — Summer 2008

  What Green Means for Communities. Features the Shelterforce interview with Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx; “Making Food Deserts Bloom” by Kari Lydersen; and “Taking the LEED in Your Community” by Ted Wysocki. Also: Chicago’s El Mercado marketplace; Boston’s Jamaica Plain and affordable housing; Walt Disney and “A Tale of Two Anaheims”; “Decoding Housing Finance Agencies”; “Subprime’s Footprint”; and more.

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  Course Correction — Spring 2008

  Gaining traction on solving the mortgage mess, How to solve the crisis, Public-private partnerships solutions for homeowners, How CDCs must change in light of current economic forces, Columbia University forcing change in West Harlem, Taming eminent domain, TIAA-CREF and socially responsible investments.

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  Community Development at 40 — Winter 2007

  Community Development at 40, Fighting against segregation, New crop of young leaders, New trends in rural community development, challenges faced by ethnic-based CDCs.

• Housing and Presidential Politics — Fall 2007

  Housing and Presidential Politics: Housing the Working Poor, Credit Where Credit is Due, The Supreme Denial of Integration. Plus: Struggling in the Crescent City, Charting a New Course in Portland, Keeping Kukui Gardens, The Case for Plan B, Getting it Done

• Subprime Slide — Summer 2007

  Subprime Slide: Losing Ground to Abusive Lenders, The Trauma of Foreclosure, A Strategy for Responding to the Crisis, Legal Strategies in Ohio to Fight Abusive Lending. Also: D.C. Community Benefits Agreement, ACORN and Attorneygate, Shrinking Cities, Building a Better Housing Policy.

• Bringing Shared-Equity Homeownership to Scale — Spring 2007

  Bringing Shared-Equity Homeownership to Scale: Manufactured-Housing Cooperatives, Municipally Supported Community Land Trusts, Low-Income Tenants Buy Their Homes in D.C., A Winning Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning, Asset-Building Comes of Age, Toward a Common Agenda. Also: Barack Obama’s Third Way, Is Housing First Too Much of a Good Thing?

• Sold out! For only $5.4 Billion — Winter 2006

  NYC Tenants Face Loss of Middle-Income Units, The Case for a Right to Housing, Why CDCs Should Advocate for a Right to Hosuing, A Merger of Two Cincinnati CDCs, Gentrifiers Move Onto Social Services’ Turf, Universal Design and Visitability in Affordable Housing, Making Tax Credits Work for the Disabled, Midterm Election Analysis, 2006 Housing and Community Development Victories.

• Searching For A Way Home — Fall 2006

  Katrina Evacuees in Limbo in Texas, Privileged Places, Nonprofits Prevent Foreclosure, Can Progressives Deliver in ‘06, Labor and Community Think Collectively, the Prevailing Wage Debate, Rx for Tenants, Healthy Foods and Strong Communities, Concentrated Poverty Moves Around.

• Community Control From Participatory Budgeting to Neighborhood Planning — Summer 2006

  Budgeting for Democracy in Lawrence, Mass., Canada and Chicago, Planning Beyond the Project, Building Trust Through Planning in New York’s Chinatown, Managing the Affordable Housing Message, The Politics of Poverty, Say NO to Wal-Bank, Evictions After Katrina, Jane Jacobs’ Radical Legacy.

• After Katrina Politicians Retreat, Activists Step Up — Spring 2006

  After Katrina: A Political Disaster, Organizing Networks Step Up, Intermediaries Head for the Gulf Coast, Planning New Orleans, the Media on Poverty. Also: Grassroots Organizing and Design in Oakland, Frank Wilkinson’s Legacy.

• Nov/Dec 2005

  Community Benefits Agreements, ACORN Partners With a Private Developer, CDC Networks, President Bush and the Mansion Subsidy, the 30th Anniversary of Shelterforce: Looking Back, Looking Forward.

• Sept/Oct 2005

  Community Entrepreneurship for CDCs, A Nonprofit Takes a Business Approach, Brokerages for the Rest of Us, Collective vs. Market Housing, After Katrina, the Legacy of Racism and Poverty in New Orleans.

• July/Aug 2005

  Land Trust in Mississippi, Gentrification in New York, Limited Equity Co-ops, Reality for Housing Advocates.

• May/June 2005

  CANDO’s Rise and Fall, Cleveland’s Housing Court, Hope Community’s Listening Project, Employer-Assisted Housing.

• Mar/Apr 2005

  Rebuilding Cities: Network Organizing in Lawrence, Mass., Housing Strategies for Market Revival, Thompson v. HUD, Healthy Housing Advocacy.

• Jan/Feb 2005

  Housing and Service Providers for Ex-offenders; Predatory Lending; Community-University Partnerships.

• Nov/Dec 2004

  The “Community” in Chicago’s Public Housing; Resident-led Redevelopment in Pittsburgh’s Hill District; The Social Loss of Urban Renewal; The Reality of Deconcentration; Post-Election Commentary.

• Sept/Oct 2004

  The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Dilemma; Family Self-Sufficiency Program; Workforce Development in Newark; Urban Neglect Under the Bush Administration; How CDCs Should Build Power; The Politics of Hip-Hop.

• July/Aug 2004

  McKinney-Vento Homeless Act; Jobs-Housing Mismatch; Section 8 Homeownership Program; CDCs and Community Mediation.

• May/June 2004

  Arena Politics in Newark; HUDS’s House of Cards; KWRU’s Fight; Housing Bubble; Reagan’s Legacy.

• Mar/Apr 2004

  Beauty in the Bronx; Mount Laurel Under Attack; Planning Newark, NJ; Social Injustice in Chicago: Presidential Towers.

• Jan/Feb 2004

  Newark, NJs CDCs; CDCs in Gentrifying Neighborhoods; SEA Corp; Affordability Name Game.

• Nov/Dec 2003

  Women at Work: An Economic Justice Story; Safety Net for CDCs; Homeownership for the Disabled; Chicago Block Clubs.

• Sept/Oct 2003

  Zoning for Justice; Future of Fannie and Freddie; CDCs in Weak Market Cities; Saying No to Affordable Housing; Progressive Politics and Organizing.

• Jul/Aug 2003

  Enterprising Nonprofits; Reusing Urban Brownfields; Beyond Housing Headlines: State of the Nation’s Housing 2003; Black Organizer Blues.

• May/June 2003

  The CDC School of Hard Knocks; CDC Mergers; Can this Collaboration Be Saved?; Gentrification Roundtable; Enraging the Right.

• Mar/Apr 2003

  Riding the Rails; No Progress Without Protest; Left Behind; Wages, Work and Income Still Matter; The Social Investment State.

• Jan/Feb 2003

  Has Homeownership Been Oversold?, Section 8 Is Broken, Building Wealth.

• Nov/Dec 2002

  Fighting for Air in Camden, When Your Bank Leaves Town, Boston Mayor Menino, Planning with GIS, Artist Profile.

• Sept/Oct 2002

  Almost Home: Foster Care Youth, The Conundrum of Community Development, Going Subprime.

• Jul/Aug 2002

  Direct Action for Housing, The Power of the Community Press, Livable and Affordable, Tenant Blacklisting.

• May/June 2002

  Cincinnati a Year Later, Better-Managed CDCs, Making a Living.

• Mar/Apr 2002

  CushingDolbeare Interview, Block Group Organizing, LA Housing Trust Fund.

• Jan/Feb 2002

  Community Land Trusts, Getting into Development, Abandoned Properties, Rural Development.

• Nov/Dec 2001

  The Future of Affordability, Insurance Companies and CRA, Smart Growth, Labor Goes to Bat for Housing.

• Sept/Oct 2001

  SPECIAL ISSUE: EVALUATION.

• Jul/Aug 2001

  SPECIAL ISSUE: SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.

• May/June 2001

  Managing Gentrification, Housing Markets, Rent Control.

• Mar/Apr 2001

  Steering and Segregation, The Bush Administration, New Urbanism, Low Income Housing Institute, Fenway CDC.

• Jan/Feb 2001

  SPECIAL ISSUE: FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES.

• Nov/Dec 2000

  SPECIAL ISSUE: LEADERSHIP.

• Sept/Oct 2000

  Property Flipping, Preventing Burnout, Geographic Information Systems, Neighborhood Knowledge LA.

• Jul/Aug 2000

  Empowerment Zones, Financial Literacy, Homeownership Counseling, George Knight.

• May/June 2000

  Renewing Bonds, Labor and the Housing Movement, Community Development: Back to the Streets!, Congressional Report Card.

• Mar/Apr 2000

  SPECIAL ISSUE: Shelterforce’s 25th Anniversary! Essays on history, policy, and strategies from asset building to organizing for power.

• Jan/Feb 2000

  Arts Build Community, Predatory Lending, Elderly Housing, New Codes for Old Buildings.