Even with new funding proposed in the infrastructure package, voucher recipients face severe challenges in finding landlords that will accept them.

Among the proposed cuts to the proposed infrastructure spending package, reports Abby Vesoulis, is the $75 billion allocated for Housing Choice Vouchers. But even if the funding goes through, "the discussion underscores a central problem with the existing system: there’s a critical shortage of affordable housing units where people can actually use their vouchers."
Today, the program provides 2.3 million households with vouchers. "That’s nowhere near enough: only one in four people who qualify for federal housing assistance currently receive support, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), and those who do must wait an average of 2.5 years before receiving a voucher." While the new funding, if approved, would provide 750,000 additional vouchers, "a more systemic, and perhaps more intractable problem remains: once families get vouchers, they often struggle to find landlords who will accept them."
Some landlords "complain about the long lead times it takes between showing a tenant an available unit, going through the mandatory inspection process, making any needed repairs, and obtaining final PHA sign-off." If the vouchers were "a lot more like cash," they say, it would make the process easier for them.
Even so, "affordable housing advocates argue that more federal funding will at least begin to address some of the problems at hand," giving more families an opportunity to start looking for housing.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.
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.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont