Rebecca Cohen's Page

Yesterday, the Center for Housing Policy released a new online policy guide that describes tools available to states and localities to create or preserve affordable homes in areas where transportation costs are likely to be low.  The policy guide lays out 5 areas in which there are opportunities to build in affordability:…See More

In partnership with Enterprise Community Partners and NeighborWorks America, the National Center for Healthy Housing has re-released a guide to the safe clean-up of homes damaged in floods.  The guide was originally developed in 2005-2006 following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and reprinted in 2008 following flooding in the Midwest.  The guide -- which features step-by-step do-it-yourself instruction on topics including pre-work inspection and site preparation, cleaning and treatment, and…See More

I am looking for more details on the Power New York Act, which the New York State legislature recently passed as a companion to the 2009 Green Jobs/Green New York law.  The bill enables utilities to enact "on-bill financing" that will allow homeowners to pay back the cost of residential energy-efficiency retrofits through a surcharge on their monthly energy bill.  Ideally, the surcharge will equal or exceed savings on energy use, resulting in a cost-neutral solution for families. More details…See More

Earlier this week the NY Times 'Opinionator' published a nice blog post on Health Leads, a program that addresses the social determinants of health and was started at Boston Medical Center in the 1990s. Staffed by volunteer college students, Health Leads works with low-income patients seeking medical care to help fill "prescriptions" to remedy other (non-medical) issues that may be causing ongoing health problems.  Student volunteers help to link patients up with housing subsidies, utility…See More

Is anyone aware of a PHA that has used its authority to project-base a portion of Housing Choice Vouchers to create deep affordability in location-efficient areas near transit stations or other amenities? Please post examples below- thanks!

In response to an ongoing budget crisis in California, Governor Brown proposed eliminating redevelopment agencies, which are an important source of funding for affordable housing in the state. Eden Housing has released a podcast featuring Lynn Hutchins of real estate law firm Goldfarb and Lipman, which provides the latest details on recent developments in California.  Access the podcast at …See More

On Tuesday, July 26 at 3:30 pm ET, the Sustainable Communities Network will host a webinar on Promoting Affordable and Fair Housing near Transit, Job and Town Centers.   Tune in to hear from practitioners who are taking steps to ensure that housing for families at all income levels is available in location-efficient and opportunity-rich areas. Following an overview of tools available to create and preserve affordable homes in areas where transportation costs are likely to be low, participants…See More

Join Transportation for America for a call on Wednesday, June 15, at 3:00 PM EST with Director James Corless and the T4America policy team to discuss the findings of a new report, Aging in Place, Stuck without Options: Fixing the Mobility Crisis Threatening the Baby Boomer Generation to be released Tuesday, June 14.  The call-in number is (866) 740-1260 and the passcode is 3355141.Background:The first baby boomers will turn 65 this year, and by 2030, projections estimate over 70 million…See More

The impact of including or excluding foreclosures in property tax assessments was addressed in a Live at the Forum presentation by Susan Adams of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership back in 2009.  While I have not been following the issue in the past year, I did want to point out an…See More

As part of its How Housing Matters to Families and Communities initiative, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is currently accepting research abstracts from interested applicants that address the relationship of housing to health outcomes, public safety, educational performance, and other topics. Initial research abstracts are due on Friday, April 8, and a selected…See More

As Palmer has made clear, local jurisdictions need to carefully structure the rental component of their inclusionary zoning policies in states that impose rent control restrictions.  In addition to California, Colorado, and Wisconsin, in what states is this an issue?  If anyone can add info about how they have structured an IZ program to remain in compliance with rent control policies, that would also be much appreciated.See More

The National Housing Trust reports in a recent newsletter that the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued new guidance informing states that multifamily properties should be included in plans for spending Weatherization Assistance Funds, and that failure to do so goes contrary to program goals. According to the Trust, DOE has also noted that technical assistance will be available in states that have little experience with multifamily weatherization.  The guidance is available…See More

The Center for Housing Policy is currently in the process of developing an equitable transit-oriented development toolkit for inclusion on HousingPolicy.org. The toolkit will focus on state and local strategies for incorporating affordable and workforce housing into transit-oriented development and other infill areas.   We are looking for your help in identifying communities or programs to feature in the toolkit!  What is the next Atlanta BeltLine or Denver TOD Fund?  Please reply to this post…See More