affordable housing

19 Stories

It's Hard to Find a (Cheap) Home on the Range

At Yellowstone, a $40M gift looks to bring affordable housing to the park for staff

(Newser) - When Caroline Gold was accepted for her dream job working at Yellowstone National Park in 2021, she immediately informed her employer in Texas she was leaving. Then she started looking for housing in rural Montana near her new place of work. That's when she wondered, "Am I going...

A Troubling Amount of US Renters Are in Deep

More and more US tenants spend 30% or more of their income on housing

(Newser) - The often-recommended rule of thumb when it comes to housing is to not hand over more than 30% of your gross income to a landlord or mortgage company and the accompanying utilities. In the United States, more renters than ever are surpassing that limit, further burdening a middle class beset...

Looking to Buy a Home? Here's the Most Affordable US City
Short on Cash?
Buy a Home Here
May 23, 2023 1:40 PM CDT

Short on Cash? Buy a Home Here

Head to Montgomery, Alabama, for the most affordable abodes; avoid Santa Barbara, California

(Newser) - With soaring home prices and interest rates, it may not seem like the best time to plunk down a down payment on a new home. Some US cities, however, make that goal more attainable than others, and WalletHub sifted through the data to suss out the top contenders. The site...

Teachers Can't Afford to Live Here. School District Has a Solution

Bay Area's Milpitas Unified School District asks parents to consider renting to educators

(Newser) - If you're a family in the San Francisco Bay Area with an empty room, apartment, or backyard cabana, one local school district has an unusual ask: Rent it to a teacher. NBC Bay Area reports that the cost of housing and rentals in that part of California remains through...

Chappelle Pushes Back After Affordable Housing Controversy

Comic says threat to nix club over project plan had nothing to do with the idea of affordable housing

(Newser) - Comedian Dave Chappelle said his threat to pull the plug on his plans to open a comedy club near his hometown in Ohio wasn't because he opposed a proposal for affordable housing in a nearby development. Chappelle, who became the target of criticism this week after speaking against the...

Feds Plan to Make 100K Affordable Homes Available

Biden 'knows we can't wait' to address housing crisis, White House says

(Newser) - The White House says it is taking immediate steps to boost the supply of affordable housing—it will make sure an estimated 100,000 units to be made available to homeowners and renters over the next three years will go to families and nonprofits, not the large investors who have...

Homeless Moms Evicted From Vacant Home in 'Act of War'

'This isn't over'

(Newser) - Four people were arrested Tuesday when Alameda County Sheriff's deputies showed up to evict a group of homeless mothers who'd taken up residence in a vacant home in Oakland, Calif. NBC News and the Mercury News report that members of Moms 4 Housing, an activist group trying to...

Buttigieg Plan: Free College for Families Under $100K

Sound Bend mayor lays out economic blueprint

(Newser) - Pete Buttigieg wants to help low-income families with free college tuition, free childcare, and expanded tax credits, according to a $2.1 trillion economic plan announced Friday. The plan includes free tuition at four-year public colleges for families earning up to $100,000, reduced tuition for those earning up to...

In Los Angeles, a 'Disaster of Epic Proportions'

Spike in homelessness tied to increasing rents, lack of affordable housing

(Newser) - Despite $619 million spent to end homelessness around Los Angeles in 2018, the situation only got worse. Over the last year, the number of people living on the streets, in vehicles, or in shelters rose 12%, to just under 59,000 in Los Angeles County, and climbed 16% to 36,...

Rich Liberals Are Creating 'Unlivable' US Cities

In 'NYT,' Farhad Manjoo says Dems have a NIMBY attitude that belies their progressive stance

(Newser) - California is suffering from an "emergency that feels like a dystopian showcase of American inequality." That's the take of Farhad Manjoo in the New York Times , who writes that the Golden State is weighed down by a "livability" problem, plagued with a lack of affordable housing,...

Microsoft Puts Its Money Where Seattle's Housing Crisis Is

$500M to go to affordable housing, homeless services within 3 years

(Newser) - Microsoft is looking to ensure a roof over employees' heads, putting up $500 million to assist with affordable housing in the Seattle area. The funds will help create homes for Microsoft's cafeteria workers and shuttle drivers, as well as other middle- and low-income residents, reports the New York Times...

Seattle Kills Tax in Face of Formidable Foe: Amazon

City council rolls back tax it had unanimously approved last month

(Newser) - What does defeat sound like? This: "We have reached the conclusion that this is not a winnable battle at this time." That was the pronouncement of Seattle Councilwoman Lisa Herbold Tuesday in advance of what ended up being a 7-2 vote to reverse a new tax the council...

Amazon Not Thrilled With Seattle's New 'Amazon Tax'

Tax on city's largest employers will bring in about $45M a year

(Newser) - "People are dying on the doorsteps of prosperity." That's per a city councilwoman in Seattle, where local politicians hope a new tax on big business will alleviate homelessness. On Monday, the Seattle City Council passed a "head tax," which starting in 2019 will be imposed...

The Eviction Process in the US: 'Efficient and Surreal'

The middle class is now being affected, thanks to gentrification, among other factors

(Newser) - John Williams once had a white-collar career as a political reporter and a $2,000-a-month apartment in suburban DC. Then he lost his job, fell behind on his rent to the tune of five figures, and was kicked out of his home by housing court. It was a "smooth,...

10 Least Affordable Housing Markets in US

You may need a golden ticket to live in many parts of the Golden State

(Newser) - California dreamin' may be just that, especially when it comes to being able to afford to live there. 24/7 Wall St. examined data from real estate company ATTOM Data Solutions—including wage info, monthly homeownership expenses, and median fair-market rent—to figure out which US counties offer the least affordable...

The Country's 10 Most Affordable Housing Markets

Tennessee, Michigan each hold 3 spots

(Newser) - 24/7 Wall St. looked at rental affordability and home buying affordability based on average area wages in order to come up with the 25 most affordable housing markets in the US. (Monthly house payments were based on a 3% down payment and included the mortgage, property tax, homeowner's...

Lawyer, Engineer Say Even They Can't Afford Palo Alto

City's planning and transportation commissioner explains why as she resigns

(Newser) - Palo Alto's planning and transportation commissioner sat down and did the math: For Kate Vershov Downing and husband Steve to purchase a home similar to the 4-bedroom, 2,300-square-foot dwelling they currently rent (with another couple, at $6,200 a month), their monthly payment would be $12,177. That'...

2.5M US Kids Are Homeless: Report
 One in 30 US Kids Is Homeless 
new report
Nov 17, 2014 8:49 AM CST

One in 30 US Kids Is Homeless

Figure up 8% from 2012 to 2013

(Newser) - The number of homeless children in the US has surged in recent years to an all-time high, amounting to one child in every 30, according to a comprehensive state-by-state report that blames the nation's high poverty rate, the lack of affordable housing, and the impact of pervasive domestic violence....

DC's New Cheap Housing: Shipping Crates

An innovative project may boost the next trend

(Newser) - Off-campus housing isn’t known for being particularly innovative, but two real estate entrepreneurs are putting up housing near Catholic University made out of decidedly unusual materials: 8-by-40-foot steel shipping containers, reports the Washington Post . Each level hosts six containers and serves as its own apartment, with six bedrooms and...

19 Stories