Longer, more intense heat waves are driving up cooling costs and putting low-income households at higher risk for heat-related illnesses.

Summer cooling costs for the average U.S. household are projected to hit a 10-year high this year, according to a report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.
As Ysabelle Kempe explains in Smart Cities Dive, the average bill over the June-through-September period is estimated to be $719, 8 percent higher than last year. “Some regions are projected to face a greater rise in average year-over-year summer electricity costs than others. The greatest bill increases are projected to be in the Mid-Atlantic, which includes New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the Pacific region, which includes Washington, Oregon and California.”
Extreme heat is becoming a pressing public health concern as more cities face rising summer temperatures and unsustainably high energy demands. For people without access to air conditioning or local cooling centers, heat can be deadly. Last year, a record 2,300 people died from heat-related causes. Only 17 states and Washington, D.C. have rules in place to prevent utility shutoffs. According to NEADA Executive Director Mark Wolfe, “What we’re missing in the country is a year-round strategy to help people pay their heating and cooling bills, and we think that Congress should take that up next year.”
FULL STORY: How US summer cooling costs are rising in 2 charts

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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