Novel Solutions for Affordable Housing

The affordable housing crisis rages. "The U.S. isn’t just short a few units, we’re falling woefully behind. A report by the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) suggest we need 4.6 million new units by 2030," reports Patrick Sisson. Though there's a lot of work to be done, some opportunities are overlooked, either because they address the problem from a different angle or they're outside of the traditional government playbook.  The examples described in the report encompass "…inclusionary zoning, removing parking minimums, changing building codes to make it easier to rehab older buildings, and new funding models," Sisson writes.

In surveying different ways to approach housing issues, Sisson looks at one example from Salt Lake City, among others, where officials are using affordable housing to address the needs of their homeless population. "Last fall, the city dedicated $30 million to address homelessness and provide 'deeply affordable housing' for those most in need. 'The solution to homelessness is housing,' said city councilmember, Derek Kitchen," Sisson writes.