Housing Crisis and Homelessness
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Housing Crisis and Homelessness
Affordable Housing Shortages
The housing affordability crisis is driven by a persistent shortage of homes that people with low and moderate incomes can afford. Years of underbuilding, rising land and construction costs, restrictive zoning, limited subsidies, and stagnant household incomes have contributed to a widening gap between housing costs and earnings.
The shortage is particularly severe for extremely low-income renters. National housing research has documented millions fewer affordable and available rental homes than are needed for the lowest-income households. In many communities, only a small fraction of these renters can find housing within a traditionally affordable share of their income.
Housing pressures increasingly affect the middle class as well. Families face rising costs for rent or mortgages alongside food, transportation, health care, and child care. Workers may be unable to live near employment centers, creating economic problems for both households and local businesses.
Affordable housing is also vulnerable to disappearing from the existing supply. Subsidized properties can convert to market-rate housing after affordability requirements expire. Preservation of existing affordable units has therefore become an important part of housing policy alongside new construction.
Homelessness and Housing Insecurity
High housing costs and limited affordable housing are closely connected to homelessness. When rents rise faster than wages, households with little savings may be pushed into housing instability by job loss, medical expenses, family disruption, or other financial emergencies.
National homelessness counts have shown historically high levels of homelessness in recent years. Although preliminary data have indicated declines in some major cities, conditions vary considerably between communities. Some regions continue to report substantial increases in unsheltered homelessness.
Homelessness includes more than people sleeping on sidewalks or in encampments. Families and children may live temporarily with relatives, in garages, vehicles, motels, or other unstable accommodations. These forms of hidden homelessness can be difficult to measure.
Shelter shortages also complicate local responses. In many cities, the number of shelter and interim-housing beds is lower than the number of people experiencing homelessness. Encampment clearings and restrictions on vehicle living remain controversial when permanent housing alternatives are unavailable.
Housing-first programs generally emphasize rapid placement into permanent housing combined with voluntary supportive services. Other approaches prioritize temporary shelter, treatment requirements, or sober housing. Policymakers continue to debate the appropriate balance between these models.
Rent, Evictions, and Tenant Protections
Rising rents are a major source of housing insecurity. Lower-cost apartments have been disappearing from many housing markets, leaving renters with fewer affordable choices.
The end of pandemic-era rental assistance and eviction protections contributed to renewed eviction pressure in many communities. Eviction can create debt, damage rental histories, disrupt employment and education, and increase the risk of homelessness.
Tenant-protection policies vary widely. Proposals include rent stabilization, limits on annual rent increases, longer notice periods for unpaid rent, legal representation in eviction court, emergency rental assistance, and protections against displacement following disasters.
Supporters argue these policies give renters stability and time to resolve financial problems. Critics sometimes warn that strict rent regulations can discourage housing maintenance or investment. Housing researchers frequently argue that tenant protections and rental assistance must be combined with increased housing supply.
Federal, State, and Local Housing Policy
Housing policy involves federal, state, and local governments. Federal programs support rental vouchers, public housing, homelessness services, community development, and affordable-housing construction.
Housing Choice Vouchers help low-income households pay the difference between affordable household contributions and market rents. Demand for vouchers greatly exceeds available funding in many areas.
Changes to federal housing and homelessness funding can have substantial local effects. Proposals to reduce rental assistance or permanent supportive-housing programs have generated concern that vulnerable households could lose housing.
States and cities are experimenting with homelessness-prevention programs that provide short-term financial assistance and case management before a household is evicted. Evidence from California programs suggests that relatively targeted assistance can sometimes prevent the much greater personal and public costs associated with homelessness.
Housing policy has also become increasingly important in state legislatures. Governments are considering zoning reforms, construction incentives, tenant protections, housing-finance programs, and new administrative agencies focused on housing and homelessness.
Housing Development and Zoning
Increasing housing supply is widely viewed as an essential part of addressing affordability, although debate continues over what kinds of housing should be built.
Zoning laws can limit apartments, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, manufactured housing, and other lower-cost housing forms. Parking requirements, lengthy approval processes, development fees, and restrictions on building density can further raise costs.
Transit-oriented development allows more housing near rail stations and major public transportation routes. Supporters argue that denser housing near transit can increase supply while reducing household transportation expenses.
Cities are also studying underused downtown properties, parking lots, and commercial buildings as potential housing sites. Office-to-residential conversions have attracted particular attention following changes in office use. However, structural layouts, building codes, financing, plumbing, and other engineering challenges can make these conversions expensive or impractical.
Micro-apartments, tiny homes, dormitory-style units, and single-room occupancy housing are other lower-cost options. Some inexpensive housing types largely disappeared because of zoning and building regulations.
Affordable-housing developments face additional financing challenges. Even approved projects may remain unbuilt when public subsidies fail to keep pace with construction costs.
Housing Markets, Investors, and Financialization
The role of investors in housing markets has generated growing political debate. Corporate landlords and institutional investors have purchased homes in many metropolitan areas.
Research has examined whether concentrated corporate ownership contributes to higher rent growth. Some studies have found associations between landlord concentration and rent increases, particularly in certain neighborhoods.
However, large institutional investors still own a relatively small share of the national housing supply. Some housing economists argue that banning institutional purchases alone would have limited effects on nationwide home prices.
Investor ownership can be more concentrated in particular communities, including vacation destinations and rapidly growing markets. Critics argue that treating homes primarily as investment assets can make it more difficult for residents to compete for housing.
The broader debate concerns the financialization of housing: whether housing policy should prioritize homes as places to live or as investment vehicles capable of generating financial returns.
Housing, Health, Children, and Equity
Housing conditions have significant effects on physical and mental health. Households spending a large percentage of income on housing may reduce spending on food, medicine, transportation, and other necessities.
Housing instability can increase stress and contribute to poorer health outcomes. Frequent moves and homelessness also disrupt medical care and access to supportive services.
Children are especially vulnerable to housing insecurity. Homelessness and repeated displacement can interrupt education and create long commutes to school. Research indicates that communities with greater supplies of affordable rental housing tend to have lower rates of student homelessness.
Older adults face additional housing challenges. Fixed incomes, inaccessible homes, rising rents, and limited opportunities to downsize can leave seniors severely cost burdened.
Disabled households may struggle to find housing that is both affordable and physically accessible. Housing researchers increasingly describe affordable, stable, and accessible housing as a critical element of health equity.
Racial and economic inequalities are also reflected in housing outcomes. Historic discrimination, segregation, unequal access to credit, and differences in accumulated wealth continue to shape housing opportunities.
Housing Data and Research
Measuring the housing shortage is difficult. National estimates vary because researchers use different assumptions about household formation, vacant units, housing demand, and expected construction.
Homelessness statistics also have limitations. Annual point-in-time counts provide an important national measure but may miss people living temporarily with family, sleeping in hidden locations, or moving frequently between unstable housing arrangements.
Better housing data could help governments identify where shortages are most severe and evaluate whether programs are effective. Researchers have called for more standardized and detailed information about housing conditions.
Mapping tools are increasingly used to identify neighborhoods at high risk of eviction, displacement, and homelessness. Machine-learning systems have also been studied as a method for identifying households that may benefit from early rental assistance.
Technology may improve decision-making, but automated housing systems raise questions about data accuracy, privacy, transparency, and potential bias.
The Global Housing Crisis
Housing affordability is a major international problem. Countries throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and other regions face rapidly rising housing costs and shortages of affordable homes.
European governments are considering expanded housing investment, planning reforms, and tenant protections. The European Union has developed an affordable-housing strategy focused on supply, investment, regulation, and assistance for vulnerable households.
Ireland has adopted a major housing and homelessness plan that seeks to increase construction, social housing, affordable purchasing, and rental support.
Canada has attempted to moderate population growth and housing demand by changing migration policies. Although rental conditions have improved in some areas, longstanding supply shortages continue to contribute to high housing costs.
Australia faces rising rental stress and homelessness. Critics have questioned government tax policies that provide substantial benefits to property investors while social-housing and homelessness programs remain under pressure.
England and other European countries face growing use of temporary accommodation for homeless families. Housing advocates warn that large numbers of children could remain in emergency or short-term housing without substantial increases in social housing.
The international housing crisis has renewed debate over land use, public housing, investor incentives, rent regulation, and the treatment of housing as a global financial asset.
Approaches to Solving the Housing Crisis
No single policy is likely to resolve the housing crisis. Housing experts increasingly emphasize combinations of supply expansion, rental assistance, preservation, and homelessness prevention.
Increasing construction can reduce shortages, particularly in areas where zoning and regulatory barriers restrict development. Zoning reform, faster approvals, infrastructure investment, and development of underused land may increase housing production.
Market-rate construction alone may not provide housing affordable to the poorest households. Extremely low-income renters generally require deeply affordable housing or rental assistance because their incomes are too low to support prevailing construction and operating costs.
Preserving existing affordable housing can prevent subsidized units from converting to market rents. Governments and nonprofit organizations may purchase or refinance properties to maintain long-term affordability.
Rental assistance can help households remain housed while new housing is constructed. Emergency assistance provided before eviction can sometimes prevent homelessness.
Permanent supportive housing combines affordable housing with services for people who have experienced chronic homelessness, mental illness, or other complex challenges.
Social housing, nonprofit housing, community land trusts, manufactured housing, micro-apartments, and other alternative models may also expand the range of affordable choices.
Successful housing policy ultimately requires coordination among construction policy, land-use regulation, tenant protections, financial assistance, homelessness services, and long-term public investment.
Conclusion
The housing crisis reflects a fundamental imbalance between the cost and availability of homes and the financial resources of millions of households. Housing shortages, rising rents, evictions, and inadequate assistance contribute directly to housing insecurity and homelessness.
Building more homes is an essential part of the solution, but additional supply alone cannot meet the needs of extremely low-income households. Rental assistance, affordable-housing preservation, tenant protections, homelessness prevention, and supportive housing remain necessary.
Housing policy also affects health, education, economic mobility, and community stability. Children, older adults, disabled people, and households with the lowest incomes are particularly vulnerable to housing instability.
The crisis is not limited to the United States. Governments around the world are confronting similar questions about housing supply, investment, regulation, and the proper balance between housing as a home and housing as a financial asset.
Addressing the crisis will require sustained investment and coordinated policies that increase housing supply while ensuring that homes remain affordable and accessible to the people who need them.
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Affordable Housing Supply and Shortages
Why Affordable Housing Matters
| National Low Income Housing Coalition | NLIHC | Current
Affordable housing reduces poverty, improves health and educational outcomes and strengthens long-term economic mobility.
Tackling the U.S. Housing Crisis
| The Regulatory Review Staff | The Regulatory Review | May 2, 2026
A collection of analyses examines zoning, rental assistance, tenant protections and construction policies intended to improve affordability.
We Need to Build Homes That People Can Afford
| Letters | The Guardian | April 13, 2026
Contributors argue that governments should prioritize social, nonprofit and energy-efficient housing rather than expensive market-rate development.
The United States Has a Shortage of 7.2 Million Affordable Homes
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | March 5, 2026
Only 35 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households nationwide.
The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes 2026
| NLIHC | National Low Income Housing Coalition | March 5, 2026
The annual report documents severe rental shortages, cost burdens and unmet housing needs in every state and major metropolitan area.
U.S. Housing Supply Gap Widened During 2025
| Reuters Staff | Reuters | March 3, 2026
Housing construction again failed to meet demand, adding to more than a decade of underbuilding and worsening barriers to homeownership.
Key Housing Affordability Challenges for 2026
| Gabriela Velasco | Housing Matters | 2026
The analysis identifies rental burdens, homelessness, inadequate supply and unstable federal funding as major policy challenges.
The Big Shortage: Affordable Housing
| Mary Elizabeth Hornzell | University of Baltimore Law Review | 2026
The legal analysis examines the causes of the housing shortage and policy options for increasing affordable development.
Polk County Could Lose More Than 600 Affordable Homes
| Linh Ta | Axios | December 8, 2025
Affordability agreements at several Iowa apartment developments are approaching expiration, placing hundreds of lower-cost units at risk.
The Middle Class Is Struggling With Housing Affordability
| Brookings Metro | Brookings Institution | December 2, 2025
Families in metropolitan areas throughout the country are increasingly unable to afford housing, food, transportation and child care.
Affordable Housing Is Central to Atlanta’s Economic Future
| Axios Staff | Axios | November 24, 2025
Housing shortages are limiting economic growth as workers are increasingly unable to live near available employment.
Des Moines Affordable Housing Shrinks as Demand Rises
| Linh Ta | Axios | October 27, 2025
The metropolitan area lacks enough rental homes affordable to its lowest-income residents, even as population and demand grow.
California Affordable-Housing Fees Face Legal Challenge
| Ben Christopher | CalMatters | August 2, 2025
A lawsuit challenges local requirements that developers build affordable units or contribute money toward affordable-housing programs.
Why Housing Affordability Keeps Getting Worse
| Emily Peck | Axios | March 11, 2025
The shortage of lower-priced homes creates intense competition, pushes would-be buyers into rentals and widens economic inequality.
The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes 2025
| NLIHC | National Low Income Housing Coalition | March 2025
The report documents the nationwide shortage of rental units affordable and available to extremely low-income households.
America’s Housing Affordability Crisis and Declining Supply
| Edward Glaeser and Joseph Gyourko | Brookings Papers on Economic Activity | March 2025
The researchers examine how construction restrictions and changing housing-supply conditions contribute to high prices.
A Road Map to Address America’s Housing Crisis
| Janneke Ratcliffe et al. | Urban Institute | 2025
The project presents strategies for renters, first-time buyers, unhoused people and communities facing housing shortages.
The Affordable-Housing Crisis: An Overview
| EBSCO Research Staff | EBSCO | 2025
The overview explains how rising rents, limited construction, wage stagnation and evictions contribute to housing insecurity.
Affordable Housing Disappears as Restrictions Expire
| Claire Savage | AP News | October 6, 2024
Hundreds of thousands of subsidized apartments could convert to market rates when their affordability agreements expire.
Making Housing More Affordable
| Brookings Institution | Brookings Institution | September 23, 2024
Housing experts discuss construction, zoning, homeownership, rental assistance and homelessness policy.
Attainable Housing as a Response to the Affordability Crisis
The report promotes lower-cost housing models positioned between subsidized housing and increasingly expensive market-rate homes.
Homelessness and Housing Insecurity
King County Homeless Population Rises as Shelter Beds Decline
| Shawna De La Rosa | Puget Sound Business Journal | June 24, 2026
King County reported rising homelessness and a particularly sharp increase in the number of people living outside.
Decline in Homelessness Driven by Improvements in Major Cities
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | June 15, 2026
Preliminary national data indicate that homelessness declined between 2024 and 2025, largely because of reductions in several large cities.
Oregon Homelessness Count Jumps 35 Percent
| Meira Gebel | Axios | January 22, 2026
Oregon counted more than 27,000 people experiencing homelessness, although officials said improved data collection contributed to the increase.
Homelessness in 2026: What Needs to Change
| Cherry Willow Apparel | Cherry Willow Apparel | January 6, 2026
The article argues that homelessness policy must treat affordable housing supply as essential public infrastructure.
Why CARE Court Has Housed Few Homeless Californians
| Jocelyn Wiener | CalMatters | December 18, 2025
California’s mental-health court program has struggled to connect participants with housing because affordable and supportive units remain scarce.
Homelessness Rises Again in Philadelphia
| Isaac Avilucea | Axios | December 16, 2025
Philadelphia reported worsening homelessness amid high rents, an affordable-housing shortage and an ongoing opioid crisis.
Portland’s Housing Costs and Homelessness Increased Together
| Dani Anguiano | The Guardian | October 20, 2025
Portland residents describe how rapid growth, rising rents, addiction and inadequate services have contributed to visible homelessness.
Denver Could Have Fewer Shelter Beds in 2026
| Alayna Alvarez | Axios | September 26, 2025
Proposed budget reductions could limit Denver’s shelter capacity and programs designed to move people from encampments into housing.
An Atlanta Homeless Man Was Killed During an Encampment Clearing
| Timothy Pratt | The Guardian | September 23, 2025
The death of Cornelius Taylor intensified criticism of encampment sweeps and policies that remove homeless people without providing permanent housing.
State of Homelessness: 2025 Edition
| National Alliance to End Homelessness | NAEH | September 4, 2025
The national report identifies high housing costs, low incomes and racial inequality as central forces driving homelessness.
Trump Order Could Criminalize Homelessness
| Isabeau Doucet | The Guardian | August 7, 2025
Advocates warn that expanded enforcement, institutionalization and camping restrictions could punish homeless people without addressing housing shortages.
San Francisco Moves to Ban Long-Term RV Living
| Associated Press | The Guardian | July 22, 2025
The city proposed removing vehicles used as homes despite criticism that residents have few affordable alternatives.
Advocates Defend Affordable-Housing and Homelessness Programs
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | June 20, 2025
The coalition urges Congress to preserve rental assistance, public housing, homelessness services and community-development programs.
San Diego Homelessness Outpaces Available Housing
| Andrew Keatts | Axios | May 13, 2025
San Diego County has fewer shelter and interim-housing beds than people experiencing homelessness, while average rent remains far beyond low-wage incomes.
Louisiana Moved Homeless People Into an Unheated Warehouse
| Richard Luscombe | The Guardian | February 6, 2025
Advocates criticized Louisiana for using an isolated warehouse rather than permanent housing during a major public event.
U.S. Homelessness Rose a Record 18 Percent
| Reuters Staff | Reuters | December 27, 2024
Federal data connected the record increase to unaffordable housing, inflation, disasters, migration and longstanding racial disparities.
Affordable-Housing Shortage Drives U.S. Homelessness Increase
| Jesse Bedayn | AP News | December 27, 2024
The national homeless population rose sharply as rental shortages, natural disasters and local shelter pressures affected communities.
Record Homelessness Amid an Ongoing Affordability Crisis
| Peyton Whitney | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies | February 12, 2024
States with the greatest numbers of severely cost-burdened renters also tend to report high rates of homelessness.
Rent, Evictions, and Tenant Protections
Solving Housing Affordability Requires Supply and Rental Assistance
| Peggy Bailey et al. | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | June 10, 2026
Building more homes is necessary, but the lowest-income households will still require rental assistance and preservation of deeply affordable housing.
Eviction Court, Debt and Bargaining in Philadelphia
| Marios Papamichalis and Regina Ruane | arXiv | May 24, 2026
Researchers analyzed hundreds of thousands of landlord-tenant cases to show how attorneys, judges and standardized settlements shape eviction outcomes.
Affordable-Housing Advocates Oppose Shorter Rent-Arrears Deadlines
| NLIHC | National Low Income Housing Coalition | April 27, 2026
Housing advocates argue that shortening the time tenants have to repay overdue rent would increase evictions and homelessness.
Could a New York Rent Freeze Worsen the Housing Shortage?
| Realtor.com Staff | Realtor.com | February 4, 2026
Supporters say a freeze would protect tenants, while critics warn that it could discourage maintenance and rental-housing investment.
Affordable Rentals Under $1,000 Are Disappearing
| Emily Peck | Axios | August 6, 2025
The number of inflation-adjusted rental units costing less than $1,000 per month has declined sharply over the past decade.
Washington State Enacts Rent Stabilization
| Hallie Golden | AP News | May 7, 2025
Washington adopted limits on annual rent increases in an effort to prevent displacement and give renters greater stability.
Tenants Seek Protections After Los Angeles Fires
| Claire Wang | The Guardian | February 11, 2025
Renters displaced or affected by wildfires reported price increases, eviction pressure and difficulty locating replacement housing.
Eviction Filings Surpass Pre-Pandemic Levels
| Michael Casey | AP News | June 16, 2023
Eviction filings increased after pandemic rental assistance ended and inflation pushed rents beyond many household budgets.
Federal, State, and Local Housing Policy and Funding
What Is in the Final ROAD to Housing Act
| Emma Waters | Bipartisan Policy Center | June 23, 2026
The bipartisan legislation addresses housing construction, manufactured housing, mortgage access, zoning barriers and preservation of affordable properties.
Federal Government Blocks Los Angeles Homelessness Funding
| Marisa Kendall | CalMatters | June 11, 2026
A federal funding dispute threatens Los Angeles homelessness programs as national policy shifts toward shelters, sobriety requirements and temporary housing.
Housing Crisis Becomes a Growing Concern for U.S. Religious Leaders
| Kate Scanlon | Angelus News | June 9, 2026
Catholic leaders called for expanded housing assistance as extremely low-income renters face shortages in every state and major metropolitan area.
A New Homelessness-Prevention Strategy Spreads Across California
| Marisa Kendall | CalMatters | March 25, 2026
Targeted financial assistance and case management are helping some California households avoid eviction before they become homeless.
Silicon Valley Homelessness-Prevention Program Goes National
| Associated Press | AP News | February 27, 2026
A program combining rental assistance, case management and private funding is expanding beyond Santa Clara County.
Advocates Warn Federal Policies Could Increase Homelessness
| Isabeau Doucet | The Guardian | January 19, 2026
Housing advocates say funding reductions and a shift away from permanent supportive housing could push more vulnerable people onto the streets.
Building Affordability: A Policy Agenda
| Economic Security Project | Economic Security Project | 2026
The policy agenda recommends construction, tenant assistance, mortgage relief and public investment to reduce housing costs.
Congress Urged to Protect Housing Vouchers
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | November 17, 2025
Housing advocates warn that reduced permanent-housing funds could place as many as 170,000 formerly homeless people at risk.
Federal Housing Changes Could Increase California Homelessness
| CalMatters Staff | CalMatters | November 17, 2025
Proposed federal changes would redirect money from permanent housing toward temporary shelters and transitional programs.
California Debates Housing First and Sober Housing
| Marisa Kendall | CalMatters | November 7, 2025
California policymakers are debating whether homelessness funds should prioritize unconditional permanent housing, sobriety-based programs or temporary shelter.
California Braces for Federal Homeless-Housing Cuts
| Marisa Kendall | CalMatters | October 6, 2025
Proposed federal changes could sharply reduce permanent-housing grants and return thousands of Californians to homelessness.
Housing Voucher Funding Needs for 2026
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | September 25, 2025
Housing advocates explain how vouchers prevent homelessness and reduce the gap between low household incomes and market rents.
Indianapolis Budget Proposes $10 Million for Homelessness
| James Briggs | Axios | September 4, 2025
Indianapolis proposed additional funding for housing and homelessness programs after its unhoused population rose for a second year.
Federal Government Promises Action on High Housing Costs
| Reuters Staff | Reuters | September 1, 2025
Treasury officials said increasing housing supply and restoring movement in the mortgage market would be major policy priorities.
Federal Cuts Threaten Rural Affordable-Housing Development
| Leah Willingham | AP News | August 31, 2025
Eliminating the HOME program could halt affordable-housing projects in rural communities that have few alternative funding sources.
Housing Assistance at Risk Under Proposed HUD Time Limits
| Sally Ho and Charlotte Kramon | AP News | July 17, 2025
A proposed two-year limit on rental assistance could cause as many as 1.4 million low-income households to lose housing support.
California Creates a Cabinet-Level Housing Agency
| Ben Christopher | CalMatters | July 11, 2025
The reorganization is intended to streamline affordable-housing financing and elevate housing and homelessness policy within state government.
Where Is California’s Homelessness Funding Going?
| Marisa Kendall | CalMatters | June 16, 2025
California lawmakers debated whether to continue a major state funding source used by cities and counties for homelessness programs.
Trump Budget Proposes Historic Cuts to HUD
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | June 2, 2025
The proposed federal budget would substantially reduce affordable-housing, homelessness and community-development funding.
Toolkit Opposes Cuts to Federal Housing Investments
| NLIHC Staff | National Low Income Housing Coalition | May 27, 2025
The advocacy toolkit provides information for organizations opposing reductions to housing and homelessness programs.
Federal Government Halts Affordable-Housing Preservation Program
| Associated Press | AP News | March 12, 2025
The suspension of a $1 billion preservation program threatens projects intended to maintain tens of thousands of affordable units.
Arizona Lawmakers Focus on Affordable Housing
| Jeremy Duda | Axios | January 16, 2025
Arizona legislators considered zoning, construction and tenant proposals as housing costs became a major political issue.
Housing and Opportunity Zones
| Urban Institute | Urban Institute | 2025
Researchers examine how federal tax and budget proposals could affect housing access, homelessness and investment in disadvantaged communities.
Housing Development, Zoning, and Conversions
New York Office Conversion Accident Highlights Housing Challenges
| Associated Press | AP News | July 10, 2026
A structural failure at a major office-to-housing conversion illustrates the engineering, financial and regulatory difficulties involved in repurposing commercial buildings.
What a Troubled Office Conversion Reveals About the Housing Crisis
| Rachel Cohen | Vox | July 10, 2026
The difficulties encountered at a New York conversion project demonstrate both the promise and limitations of turning vacant offices into apartments.
Underused Downtown Land Could Help Address Housing Shortages
| Tracy Hadden Loh et al. | Brookings Institution | April 8, 2026
Small and midsized cities could convert parking lots and underused downtown properties into housing and mixed-use development.
Why 40,000 California Affordable Homes Remain Unbuilt
| Ben Christopher | CalMatters | March 9, 2026
Tens of thousands of approved affordable units are stalled because available subsidies have not kept pace with construction costs.
Richmond Joins the Tiny-Home Movement
| Karri Peifer | Axios | November 25, 2025
Tiny homes and zoning reform are being considered as lower-cost options within Richmond’s broader housing strategy.
Building Apartments Near Transit to Address Housing Shortages
| Michael Casey | AP News | November 13, 2025
States and cities are requiring or encouraging denser housing near transit stations to increase supply and reduce transportation costs.
The Housing Crisis Needs More Than Market-Rate Construction
| Letters | The Guardian | October 22, 2025
Contributors argue that large-scale social and nonprofit housing is needed because most newly built private homes remain unaffordable.
Irish Homebuilding Rises After Apartment Construction Rebounds
| Graham Fahy | Reuters | July 24, 2025
Ireland reported a substantial increase in home completions, although supply remains below the level needed to resolve its affordability crisis.
Micro-Apartments Offer a Low-Cost Housing Option
| Claire Rush | AP News | March 21, 2024
Small single-room apartments provide relatively inexpensive homes for people leaving homelessness or living on fixed incomes.
Housing Markets, Investors, and Financialization
Corporate Landlord Concentration and Unequal Rent Growth
| Advay Ranade | arXiv | June 25, 2026
A study finds an association between concentrated corporate ownership and higher rent growth, particularly in majority-minority neighborhoods.
Would Banning Institutional Home Purchases Improve Affordability?
| Joseph Gyourko | Brookings Institution | February 23, 2026
An analysis concludes that large investors own too small a national share of homes for a complete ban to substantially lower overall prices.
A Fifth of California Homes Are Investor-Owned
| Cy Neff | The Guardian | July 24, 2025
Investor ownership is particularly concentrated in some mountain and vacation communities, raising concerns about affordability and local access.
Housing, Health, Children, and Equity
New York City’s Housing Hardship
| Columbia University Researchers | Columbia University | October 2025
Survey findings show rents and utilities rising faster than wages, with particularly severe burdens among lower-income and disabled households.
California’s Hidden Homeless Children
| Isabeau Doucet | The Guardian | August 18, 2025
Thousands of children live doubled-up, in garages or in unstable accommodations because their families cannot afford conventional rentals.
More Affordable Housing Means Less Student Homelessness
| Claudia Solari et al. | Urban Institute | August 4, 2025
Counties with larger supplies of affordable rental housing generally have lower rates of homelessness among public-school students.
America’s Housing Market Is Failing Older Adults
| Urban Institute Staff | Urban Institute | March 12, 2025
More older adults are facing severe housing-cost burdens, inaccessible homes and limited options for downsizing or relocating.
Housing Insecurity: Impacts and Solutions
| Faye Greaves and Laura Webb | UK Parliament | March 5, 2025
The report examines the health, social and economic consequences of unaffordable, insecure and poor-quality housing.
Affordable Rental Housing and Population Health
| Danya Keene et al. | American Journal of Public Health | December 2023
Researchers explain how unaffordable housing damages health and reinforces racial and economic inequalities.
Without Affordable and Accessible Housing, Health Equity Is Impossible
| Roshanak Mehdipanah et al. | Milbank Quarterly | 2023
The authors connect housing affordability, accessibility and quality to health outcomes and recommend greater public investment.
Housing Data, Research, and Technology
Is the Reported Decline in Homelessness Reliable?
| Independent Institute Staff | Independent Institute | June 12, 2026
An analysis examines the reported national decline in homelessness and questions the limitations of point-in-time counts.
The Annual Federal Homelessness Count Was Delayed
| Marisa Kendall | CalMatters | May 13, 2026
Delayed federal data complicated efforts to determine whether homelessness had declined nationally for the first time in eight years.
The World’s Housing Data Problem
| Brookings Staff | Brookings Institution | March 2, 2026
Governments lack sufficiently detailed and standardized data to understand housing conditions, target investments and evaluate programs.
Sticky Homelessness
| Richard Yun | arXiv | January 1, 2026
Research suggests that rent increases drive homelessness upward, while subsequent rent decreases do not produce equally rapid reductions.
Mapping Neighborhoods at Risk of Housing Instability
| Urban Institute | Urban Institute | Updated December 22, 2025
An interactive tool identifies neighborhoods where renters are especially vulnerable to eviction, displacement and homelessness.
Measuring America’s Housing Supply Shortage
| Jenny Schuetz et al. | Brookings Institution | November 26, 2024
Researchers explain why estimates of the national housing shortage differ and why better measurements are important for policy.
Machine Learning Could Help Prevent Eviction-Related Homelessness
| Catalina Vajiac et al. | arXiv | March 19, 2024
Researchers tested a system that identifies households at greatest risk of homelessness so rental assistance can be distributed proactively.
International Housing Crises and Policy
Portugal Moves to Liberalize Rental Market and Accelerate Evictions
| Reuters Staff | Reuters | July 10, 2026
Portugal proposed faster eviction procedures, fewer rent controls and new landlord protections in an effort to return vacant homes to the rental market.
Half of Rural England’s Affordable Housing Could Be at Risk
| Robert Booth | The Guardian | July 6, 2026
Proposed planning changes could eliminate requirements for affordable homes in medium-sized rural developments and reduce future construction by thousands of units.
Cornwall Van Dwellers Face Homelessness Under Council Crackdown
| Steven Morris | The Guardian | July 4, 2026
Residents priced out of Cornwall’s conventional housing market could lose caravans, vans and converted horseboxes during a planning-enforcement campaign.
The Western Housing Affordability Crisis Explained
| Al Jazeera Staff | Al Jazeera | June 26, 2026
Housing costs across many Western countries have risen faster than wages, renewing debate over whether homes should primarily be shelters or investment assets.
AI System Helps London Place Families in Temporary Housing
| Hankun He et al. | arXiv | June 15, 2026
Researchers developed a decision-support system intended to help local governments identify suitable temporary accommodations more efficiently.
Rising Housing Costs Push More Europeans Into Homelessness
| Euronews Staff | Euronews | June 11, 2026
A European Union rights report warns that escalating rents, evictions and housing insecurity are increasing homelessness across the continent.
Local Governments Assess England’s National Homelessness Strategy
| Local Government Association | LGA | June 11, 2026
England’s local-government association says the national homelessness plan represents progress but will require significantly more funding and coordination.
Climate Change Could Intensify Australia’s Housing Crisis
| Graham Readfearn | The Guardian | May 14, 2026
Researchers project that climate-related costs, displacement and housing damage could significantly increase homelessness and rental stress.
Canada Reduced Migration but Housing Remains Unaffordable
| Patrick Commins | The Guardian | April 11, 2026
Lower migration helped increase vacancies and moderate rents, but Canada’s longstanding housing shortage continues to keep costs high.
Australia Spends More on Landlord Tax Breaks Than Housing Programs
| Peter Hannam | The Guardian | January 29, 2026
Australian tax concessions for property investors cost more than social housing, homelessness services and rental assistance combined.
The European Affordable Housing Plan
| European Commission | European Commission | 2026
The European Union’s plan focuses on housing supply, investment, immediate relief, regulatory reform and protection for vulnerable residents.
The Global Housing Crisis
| UN-Habitat | United Nations | 2026
The global report examines inadequate housing, forced displacement, homelessness, informal settlements and the financialization of homes.
What Europe’s Affordable Housing Plan Must Deliver
| Wayne Stanley | Institute of International and European Affairs | December 16, 2025
The report calls for stronger European investment, tenant protections and coordinated measures to prevent and end homelessness.
Ireland Launches Housing and Homelessness Action Plan
| Government of Ireland | Gov.ie | November 13, 2025
Ireland’s plan targets 300,000 new homes, including social housing and affordable-purchase or rental supports.
Canada’s 2025 Budget and the Housing Crisis
| Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness | CAEH | November 7, 2025
Advocates analyze whether Canada’s federal budget provides sufficient housing construction and homelessness-prevention resources.
Australian Families Are Being Housed in Motels
| Cait Kelly | The Guardian | August 3, 2025
Families unable to find affordable rentals are spending extended periods in costly and unstable motel accommodations.
England Could Have 200,000 Children in Temporary Housing
| Robert Booth | The Guardian | April 29, 2025
Shelter projects that family homelessness and government spending on emergency accommodation will increase sharply without more social housing.
Long-Term Homelessness Rises in Australia
| Cait Kelly | The Guardian | January 30, 2025
The number of Australians experiencing persistent homelessness increased nearly 25 percent over five years.
Hong Kong Struggles With Tiny and Inadequate Housing
| Farah Master et al. | Reuters | January 6, 2025
Hong Kong is attempting to eliminate unsafe subdivided units while shortening long waits for public housing.
Cities Addressing the European Housing Crisis
| Eurocities | Eurocities | 2025
European mayors describe housing affordability as one of their most urgent challenges and outline local policy responses.
Housing Exclusion in Europe
| FEANTSA and Fondation Abbé Pierre | FEANTSA | 2025
The report documents homelessness, housing exclusion, overcrowding and affordability problems across European countries.
Making Housing More Affordable and Resilient in Ireland
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | 2025
The OECD recommends construction reform, infrastructure investment and better planning to reduce Ireland’s severe housing imbalance.
London Squatters Respond to the Housing Crisis
| Andrew MacAskill and Sachin Ravikumar | Reuters | June 28, 2024
Activists occupied vacant commercial properties to shelter homeless residents amid high rents and shortages of social housing.
General Housing Affordability and Solutions
ReStart Opens First Low-Income Housing Development in Kansas City
| Justin Kaufmann | Axios | July 10, 2026
The nonprofit ReStart completed the first two units in a program intended to create 100 deeply affordable homes for low-income Kansas City families.
Phoenix Offices Could Become Low-Cost Dormitory Housing
| Jessica Boehm | Axios | October 30, 2025
A study proposes converting vacant office buildings into small private rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms.
How Governments Eliminated America’s Lowest-Cost Housing
| Alex Horowitz et al. | Pew Charitable Trusts | July 17, 2025
Zoning and building rules contributed to the disappearance of single-room occupancy residences and other inexpensive forms of housing.
Housing Nonprofits Face Growing Financial Pressure
| Heather Martin | Housing Matters | 2025
Rising operating costs and potential safety-net cuts threaten nonprofit organizations that develop housing and serve vulnerable residents.
