| September 27, 2019
Housing decay, obsolescence, and widespread vacancy comes with a high cost – both economically and socially. Vacant homes and lots not only reduce property values for surrounding units, they also mean a loss in property taxes, which pose significant challenges for government. Key infrastructure like schools, roads, and utilities face dwindling property tax revenue. From […]
| July 16, 2019
In recent weeks, a flurry of housing legislation was introduced in both the House and the Senate. You can read our press releases on the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act, the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, the YIMBY Act, and President Trump’s Executive Order creating a White House […]
| June 19, 2019
Earlier this year, Oregon made housing headlines when House Speaker Tina Kotek introduced legislation that would end single-family-only zoning in the Portland metro area and in Oregon’s larger cities. HB 2001 was – and continues to be – viewed as a significant step towards addressing Oregon’s severe shortage of homes. According to our own research, […]
| May 17, 2019
As many of you likely know, much of our modern municipal zoning regime was created after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down government-backed residential segregation in Buchanan v. Warley in 1917. While the Court found that explicit, government-backed laws preventing primarily African American citizens from purchasing property in predominantly white neighborhoods were unconstitutional, the following decades […]
| May 14, 2019
America’s approach to housing, and particularly affordable housing, has ebbed and flowed over the past century. The nation’s focus on housing policy has shifted based on contemporary housing and economic challenges, with corresponding legislation and institutions created to address those issues. From New Deal programs to President Bush’s ownership society, our governments’ relationship to housing […]
| May 7, 2019
Last week, members of Up for Growth Action were in the nation’s capital for our first annual DC Policy Summit and Legislative Advocacy Conference. We had two full days of meetings and presentations, and we also announced the public release of Up for Growth National Coalition’s newest research tool, the Housing Policy and Affordability Calculator. In our […]
| May 1, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Up for Growth National Coalition unveiled its interactive Housing Policy and Affordability Calculator today during Up for Growth Action’s first annual Washington, DC Policy Summit. The first version of the calculator focuses on Seattle, allowing users to examine how various policy choices impact both likelihood of housing getting built and the affordability […]
| April 29, 2019
The State of Washington’s Housing Trust Fund was formed to develop and preserve affordable housing for low-income and vulnerable Washingtonians. Dollars from this fund are accessed to support a wide range of projects, serving people earning up to 80% of Area Medium Income. However, most of the program funding supports those with special needs or […]