Shelterforce: Essential Reporting on Affordable Housing Shelterforce

A large, colorful mural painted on the exterior of a building. It says "WELCOME TO NOHO" in capital letters and depicts people of different ages, genders, races, and ethnicities dancing and playing music in front of different types of housing and community buildings, including apartment buildings, a health and fitness center, a theater, and a gallery. The building is set back from a public sidewalk, and part of a tree shades the right-hand side of the mural.

How State Coalitions Are Advancing Community Ownership of Housing

June 19, 2026 | Leo Goldberg and Miriam Zuk

In recent years, housing coalitions promoting community land trusts and real estate cooperatives have formed in multiple cities and states—and they are achieving results. Nonetheless, a lot of work is needed to achieve the policy changes these groups desire.

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Rural

How a Data Center Derailed $240,000 for Affordable Housing in Rural Maine

June 18, 2026 | Julia Tilton

In rural Midcoast Maine, nearly one-quarter of $1 million in federal money earmarked for housing was rescinded from a small town after local officials sought to use the funds for a data center.

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The front of a large concrete building with many exterior windows. Large capital letters on the top of the building read DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.

From the Field

HUD’s FY 2027 Spending Bill Funds Vouchers—But Would Make Them Harder to Get

June 17, 2026 | Kim Johnson

While not adjusting for inflation, the White House’s FY 2027 budget request otherwise maintains HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher funding, but proposed policy changes would make it harder for families to access and maintain assistance.

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A white man with curly hair and a short beard, wearing a black sweatshirt and tan Carhartt pants, hands supplies to a white man with a close-shaved head and short beard, wearing a black Vans sweatshirt, and checkered red-and-black pajama pants. They are standing in the interior doorway of an apartment in what appears to be a residential building. A white woman with strawberry-blonde hair, wearing a checkered shirt and dark pants, stands behind them, holding a pen and papers in her hands.

Housing

Unsupported Housing: When Stability Isn’t Enough

June 16, 2026 | Shelby R. King

As the country’s mental health, substance use, homelessness, and affordability crises collide, traditional affordable housing providers say they’re being pushed to fill the gaps left by underfunded supportive systems—without the money, staff, or resources to do so.

A group of unhoused people congregating along the perimeter of a public park. Some people are carrying backpacks and loose clothing. A bus stop and a shuttle bus can be seen in the background.

Homelessness

Will the World Cup Fuel Arrests of Homeless People in Atlanta?

June 12, 2026 | Sean Keenan and Hailey Weiner

As World Cup matches begin, advocates warn that Atlanta is on track to repeat the arrests, displacement, and criminalization of homeless residents that drew criticism during the city’s 1996 Olympics.

A stadium viewed from above, surrounded by sprawling fields and parking.

State & Local Policy

Airbnb’s Lobbying Campaign Meets Resistance Across World Cup Host Cities

June 11, 2026 | Roshan Abraham

As the World Cup arrives in 11 American cities, Airbnb is spending millions lobbying to loosen short-term rental regulations. Here’s how cities are responding.

A webinar screenshot of three people. In the top-left corner is a white man with gray hair and dark eyebrows; he is wearing headphones, glasses, and a checkered shirt, and his background is blurred. In the top-right corner is a Hawaiian woman with dark hair; she is wearing glasses and a black t-shirt, and she is set against a screensaver of a tree-lined field. On the bottom is a white woman with brown hair; she is wearing a green floral top and large earrings, and she is set against a screensaver background of the earth viewed from space.

Housing

What Does a Solidarity Approach to Housing Look Like? A Shelterforce Webinar

June 10, 2026 | Steve Dubb

In this webinar, we examine what a solidarity economy approach is, what its principles are, how these principles are being applied presently, and how they might be applied more broadly to support housing justice and transformative economic change.

Four Black adults—three women and one man—stand outside in front of a brick building. On the building is a sign that reads "Tom Lee's Centennial Celebration and the Unsung Heroes of Klondike."

From the Field

A Historic Black Memphis Neighborhood Turns to a CLT to Avoid Displacement

June 9, 2026 | Laurie Mazur

A former hub of Black-owned businesses in North Memphis that suffered urban renewal seeks to rebuild without a new wave of displacement. Can a community land trust strike that balance?

State & Local Policy

Could Massachusetts Get Rent Control Back After a 32-Year Ban?

June 5, 2026 | Steve Dubb

In Massachusetts, the collection of more than 124,000 signatures makes it likely that a statewide rent control measure will be on the ballot in November.

Stress Test: Rethinking Affordable Housing Finance

More with this Tag

Section of yellow wall of a high-rise apartment building, with prominent window air conditioners.

Breaking Point: Why the Affordable Housing Business Model Is Unraveling

Shelby R. King

Affordable housing has never been easy to finance. Now, with rising insurance, debt, and operating costs outpacing rents and subsidies, developers say it’s getting harder to make the math work.

A large housing development under construction. The building is covered in Tyvek wrap and sits behind fencing with blue and white signs that read "Colas Construction: Building Tomorrow Today."

What Does It Mean When Anchor CDCs Start Selling Affordable Housing?

Shelby R. King

Portland’s REACH CDC recently offloaded a 23-unit legacy building and 66 scattered-site homes—not because the mission has changed, but because the math has. The industry veteran’s portfolio triage offers a bellwether look at how rising costs, rent arrears, and aging properties are forcing even well-run nonprofits to rethink what they can afford to own.

A simple kitchen in an apartment building, featuring a white fridge, white four-burner electric stove, brown laminate cabinets, and beige tiled flooring. A large kitchen window looks out on a tree-lined street with residential homes.

Can Condo Conversions Deliver Long-Term Affordability?

Shelby R. King

A project in Portland, Oregon, aims to turn aging rentals into affordable condos, offering lower price points and a path to ownership. But that affordability currently rests on temporary subsidies and market goodwill. For tenants who can’t buy—and future buyers looking for affordability—the risks are significant.

Webinars

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Housing
What Does a Solidarity Approach to Housing Look Like? A Shelterforce Webinar

June 10, 2026 | Steve Dubb

In this webinar, we examine what a solidarity economy approach is, what its principles are, how these principles are being applied presently, and how they might be applied more broadly to support housing justice and transformative economic change.
Affordability
Making Homeownership Affordable: Bringing Fannie and Freddie Back to Mission, a Shelterforce Webinar

April 30, 2026 | Steve Dubb

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee most U.S. home loans, which is supposed to make homeownership widely accessible. But is this happening? In this webinar, three field leaders argue that these government-sponsored enterprises need to step up with new products and services to expand access to homeownership.
Healthy Housing
Fit to Live in: From Ordinances to Outcomes in Habitability, a Shelterforce webinar

February 19, 2026 | Lara Heard

What makes a home habitable? What makes habitability laws successful? In this webinar, an organizer in New Orleans and a representative from a nonprofit working with communities across the country affected by vacancy and abandonment share their perspectives.
Community Land Trusts
Fueling the Future of Community Ownership, a Shelterforce Webinar

November 21, 2025 | Miriam Axel-Lute

A dive into some promising new approaches to both funding community ownership and building out an ecosystem that supports its sustainability.

Opinion

Massachusetts Advocates Push for Medicaid-Funded Assisted Living

James A. Lomastro

By funding nursing homes but not assisted living, Medicaid often steers older adults into costlier and more restrictive care than they need. Lawmakers can fix that.

A graphic design in shades of blue and white showing an arrow—increasing from left to right—over four houses.

States Can Put the Brakes on Landlord Collusion and Junk Fees

Caroline Nagy

States can pursue legal remedies under anti-trust laws when landlords collude to raise rents or use deceptive practices to institute extra fees, even if the federal government backs away from these cases.

The interior of Dupont Circle train station in Washington, D.C., showing a train track, train platform, and Brutalist-style architecture, including large staircases and walking paths. A white man wearing dark clothing and a large backpack crosses the train platform in the right-hand corner.

How States Can Build Housing Together: A Proposal to Create Joint Authorities

Peter Sabonis

Housing markets don't stay within state boundaries. Why should housing finance agencies?

From the Field

Unlikely Partners: How Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago Came to Be

Bruce Gottschall

In the 1970s, anti-redlining movements were in full swing and the idea that activists, lenders, and elected officials could share power to revitalize communities and advance homeownership felt like a reach. But that was exactly my charge.

A large group of people of different races, ages, and genders, standing on a large marble staircase in a state capitol building. At the bottom of the staircase are two signs, one of which reads "Georgia Healthy Housing Coalition: Every Georgian deserves a healthy home."

Advocates in the South Get Organized to Advance Tenants Rights

Nada Hussein

In states across the South, coalitions that include housing justice advocates, tenant leaders, and legal service providers are coming together to oppose anti-tenant policies and advance tenant rights.

The exterior of a brick apartment building with large heat pumps in the windows.

What NYCHA’s Heat Pump Strategy Says About the Future of Green Affordable Housing

Timi Koyejo

New York City’s public housing authority plans to install 20,000 window heat pumps and 10,000 induction stoves over the next five years. The effort shows how large-scale procurement could help affordable housing providers cut emissions and lower the cost of green upgrades.

Featured Under the Lens Series

Shelter in a Federal Storm: State and Local Housing Solutions for a Time of Federal Hostility

While chaos reigns at the federal level, it’s up to states and local governments to creatively hold the line, fill the gaps, and figure out new ways forward. Drawing on examples from around the country, this series explores some of the many things they could do—and are already doing. Not sure where to start? Check out our series guide.

See all Under the Lens

A painting, mostly in shades of blue, showing a group of people of all ages, genders, and races, building a shelter together in a wooded area. The sky is stormy and dark, and it is raining out, but light shines down on the shelter being built, illuminating the people around and inside of it. A figure covering their head with a blue denim jacket approaches in the foreground. A figure stepping out of the shelter waves to them in greeting.

Acting Locally: States, Counties, and Cities on the Front Lines

April 6, 2026 | Miriam Axel-Lute

Even in challenging times, there are many actions that state and local governments can take to improve housing access and look out for their residents.

A rendering of a large apartment building with a Costco retail store on the ground floor. The building is surrounded by trees, and people can be seen walking on a sidewalk in front of the building. The building overlooks a a busy street with multiple lanes of traffic moving in both directions.

Free Land, Retail Rents, and Other Ways Cities Are Cutting Reliance on Federal Housing Funds

April 7, 2026 | Franklin Schneider

Though the federal role will always be necessary, local governments, and developers themselves, are looking for ways to develop affordable housing with less federal subsidy. Here are some of the approaches they are trying.

A busy urban center in Richmond, Virginia, showing a large parking lot surrounded by urban buildings and parked cars.

Property Taxes Aren’t the Cause of Our Housing Crisis, They’re a Solution to It

April 8, 2026 | Josie Faass

Taxing land and buildings at different rates can discourage land speculation and encourage housing development.

A rendering of an apartment complex featuring at least three large, four-floor gray buildings with stone exteriors at the ground levels. The buildings are set next to a parking lot on one side and a lawn with trees on the other side. Sidewalks connect the buildings. Renderings of people and cars are shown in the foreground.

How We Rewrote a Tax Incentive to Encourage More Affordable Housing

April 14, 2026 | Hanneke van Deursen

Chattanooga, Tennessee, aligned its housing tax incentive with the actual cost of charging more affordable rents. Developers are participating.

A large glass building set back from a parking lot. In front of the building is a concrete sign coming out of the ground that reads "Bank of North Dakota."

How Public Banks Can Meet Public Needs

April 15, 2026 | Steve Dubb

As federal funding streams face cuts, the idea of public banks is gaining ground as a tool for states and localities to finance community development.

Art

A bicyclist crosses in front of a mural in an underpass. The mural is made up of orange, green, and purple colorblocking.

Houston Artists and Homeless Residents Collaborate to Create Public Art

Lara Heard

In Houston, where a Housing First strategy has dramatically decreased the number of people without a place to stay, artists and unhoused residents teamed up to create public art works.

A group of building blocks on a table with buildings printed on them. Above them is a projected image of two boys on bikes wearing futuristic gear.

Exhibition Explores Black Displacement, Creating Home in Oakland

Lara Heard

Learn the stories of two communities where Black homes were destroyed, and see the vision community members have of a future Oakland.

“I Hate How Quick People Are to Judge”: Art Spotlights Voices From Homeless Shelters

Lara Heard

Alex Strada worked with 300 shelter staff members and residents to create "Public Address." The project will travel across New York City's five boroughs.