Tag: affordable housing
Student Corner: What Exactly is Workforce Housing and Why is it Important?
In many cities across the country, it is increasingly difficult for middle-income workers to buy or rent housing in the areas in which they work. This is in part due to wages not keeping up with increasing costs of living but is also due to the limited supply of housing affordable to these workers. … Continued
Student Corner: Freddie Mac Pilots a Single-Family Rental Program
In January 2018, Government sponsored enterprise (GSE) Freddie Mac completed its first financing deal as a part of its new single-family rental pilot program, which launched in December 2017. The goal of the pilot program is to provide millions of dollars of financing for landlords and nonprofits to … Continued
Student Corner: Checking In: The Impact of the Northside Neighborhood Initiative & Land Bank
The Northside Neighborhood Initiative (NNI) is a collaborative effort among Northside residents, the Jackson Center, Self-Help, UNC, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, as well as the area affordable housing agencies. Together, they work towards honoring the history of the Northside neighborhood … Continued
Student Corner: Revolving Loan Funds for Affordable Housing
In previous CED posts, the definition and benefits and disadvantages of a revolving loan fund structure have been described. For review purposes, a revolving loan fund is often defined as a replenishing source of capital or funding from which loans are made. Some of these same posts describe this fi … Continued
Student Corner: The CDFI Bond Guarantee Program
It is no secret that the struggle to preserve affordable housing and increase economic growth is more challenging than ever. Subsidies are growing smaller and building costs are increasing, making affordable housing more difficult to develop. However, a federal program known as the Community Develop … Continued
Lessons for CED from Europe: Housing, Job, Food, or Fuel Poverty…All Roads Lead to a Social Inclusion Model
For the past five months I served as a visiting scholar to the University of Ghent in Belgium. The link between food insecurity, a particular focus on my work in North Carolina, and larger overall economic insecurity issues has been getting increased focus across a number of European countries. Be … Continued
Hidden in Plain Sight
Mobile homes are a vital but generally unloved part of North Carolina’s affordable housing stock. They come to public attention in times of extreme weather, particularly high winds and floods. Their condition and location make them especially vulnerable to damage, and often their occupants – the eld … Continued
Lessons for CED from Europe: Inclusive Communities and a New City-Run Food Pantry
The photo was eerily familiar to anyone interested in CED. The headline from the New York Times article on September 20, just days before the German national election, read, “Merkel Says Germans ‘Never Had It Better.’ But Many Feel Left Behind.” The accompanying photo by Gordon Welters, shown here … Continued
Student Corner: The Missing Middle: An Affordable Housing Solution?
Throughout the United States, the cost of housing is rising faster than incomes. While there are many discussions taking place around this issue, an important one is how the types of housing being developed can have an impact on affordability, particularly in areas where demand is high – namely, wal … Continued
Student Corner: 4% LIHTC Use in North Carolina’s Triangle Region
A Brief Introduction to the 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Development of low-income housing in the United States continues to be a challenge for local governments, affordable housing developers, and policy advocates. Institutional, market, and financing obstacles are all barriers to increasing th … Continued