Close to 60,000 District households can’t afford their housing costs, according to research from the Urban Institute.

An analysis from the Urban Institute by Elizabeth Burton, Leah Hendey, and Peter A. Tatian highlights renter assistance programs in Washington, D.C., which remain inadequate for stemming the rising number of evictions. “The number of evictions executed in 2024 is on pace to reach prepandemic levels, and an estimated 14 percent of DC renter households reported that they are not caught up on their rent payments.”
The analysis delves into various housing assistance programs and estimates “how many more eligible households in DC could be served by deep subsidies, shallow subsidies, and rental assistance that serve households with incomes below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI).”
The report concludes that “DC needs significant funding increases for housing assistance programs to prevent increased housing instability, evictions, homelessness, and displacement.” The authors call for a boost in assistance programs that they acknowledge require “an immense increase in funding and the political will to reform the housing system.”
Aside from the impact of assistance programs on helping residents stay in their homes and reduce housing costs, the authors write, “the cost of failing to address housing instability has other short- and long-term funding impacts, including direct eviction costs and funding for mental and physical health, schools, and homelessness services.”
FULL STORY: Combating Rising Evictions in the District of Columbia with Housing Subsidies

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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