An op-ed in Gotham Gazette calls on the state legislature to enact a housing assistance program that could help tens of thousands of residents stay in their homes.
Pointing out that New York state accounts for 13 percent of the nation’s total unhoused population, Baaba Halm & Barika Williams argue in an op-ed for Gotham Gazette that the state needs a robust Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP), a proposal that will be taken up by the state legislature.
The far-reaching benefits of rental assistance programs like HAVP are well-documented. As the NYU Furman Center explains, the ‘existing literature points to a robust array of [likely] positive outcomes.’ A separate federal study from Housing and Urban Development finds that among families receiving housing vouchers, fewer children were removed from homes and separated from their families, there were fewer school and childcare absences, and less evidence of alcohol or drug problems, 20 months later.
The article points to other studies showing that housing stability has a significant impact on education, employment, health, and other outcomes. According to the authors, housing assistance programs also reduce the burden on public shelter facilities in the long run. Halm and Williams argue that enacting HAVP would be in line with Governor Hochul’s Housing Compact and assist New Yorkers currently at risk of becoming unhoused.
FULL STORY: New York Needs the Housing Access Voucher Program
National Housing Group Criticizes Executive Orders
The National Low Income Housing Coalition issued a statement charging that Trump’s executive orders would worsen the housing crisis.
Strategies for Preventing and Ending Homelessness
A new report recommends a comprehensive, nationwide affordable housing plan as the ‘single most effective’ method of ending homelessness.
HUD Approves L.A. Housing Voucher Changes
The city requested changes to federal housing voucher approvals to streamline the approval process for people experiencing homelessness.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Research: Walkability Linked to Improved Public Health
A study reveals that the density of city blocks is a significant factor in communities’ walkability and, subsequently, improved public health outcomes for residents.
Report Outlines Strategies for Resilient Wildfire Recovery in LA
Project Recovery offers a roadmap for rebuilding more sustainable and climate-resilient communities after wildfires and other disasters.
New Executive Order Renews Attack on Public Lands
An order issued late last week pushes for increased mineral extraction on federally owned public lands.
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