Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.

In a report for The Seattle Times, Greg Kim highlights the growing crisis facing nonprofit operators of low-income housing in Seattle and around the country. According to Kim, unpaid rent debt in the Seattle area totals roughly $170 million. “The Seattle Housing Authority, a public housing agency, saw a threefold increase in tenants with overdue rent over the last four years, going from 554 tenants at the start of 2019 to 1,784 at the beginning of this year. Currently, about 23% of tenants are behind on rent.”
Now, housing providers face the decision to evict non-paying tenants so that they can continue providing services. “Many housing providers say the amount of overdue rent has grown dramatically since before the pandemic and is hurting their ability to maintain and build more affordable housing in a region and nation that is starved for it.”
Kim explains that the pandemic hit low-income renters hard in multiple ways. In addition to losing jobs and income, many tenants saw their rent spike in housing where rent costs are tied to median income. “In Seattle and King County, the median income spiked during the pandemic due to ‘very high wage earners skewing the top,’ said Nona Raybern, communications manager at Seattle’s Office of Housing. That resulted in maximum rents increasing by about 36% in the last five years.”
FULL STORY: Unpaid rent in low-income housing skyrocketed, evictions may be next

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie