The housing crisis hits America’s heartland

Oct 2, 2018
When you think of high rents and overcrowding, you probably don’t think of farmland. However, according to a new report by the Urban Institute, rural communities are facing a lack of affordable housing, just like more densely populated urban areas. One hundred fifty-two rural counties throughout California, Texas and several southeastern states, among others, were […]
 Corn grows on a farm on July 13, 2018 near Amana, Iowa.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

For Americans who rely on public housing, HUD proposals strike fear

Aug 10, 2018
In Erie, Pennsylvania, where more than a quarter of residents live in poverty, many are in "chronic crisis mode," one social worker says.
The Poor People’s Campaign March makes its way through downtown Erie. Marchers advocated for increased affordable housing in Erie, better-paying jobs and more accountability from elected officials.
Erika Beras/Marketplace

To combat Spain's affordable housing crisis, Barcelona has started renting out empty apartments owned by banks

Aug 2, 2018
Spain is in a housing crisis. According to the latest official figures from 2012, around 22,000 people are homeless, though more recent estimates from nonprofits say it could be closer to 40,000. And there’s a surplus of empty homes — hundreds of thousands of apartments owned by banks, repossessed during the country’s financial crisis between […]
Mainly empty apartments are seen in Marina d'Or resort on May 19, 2014 in Oropesa del Mar, Spain.
David Ramos/Getty Images

In Miami-Dade one nonprofit is trying to tackle the affordable housing crisis for LGBTQ seniors

Jul 26, 2018
Finding an affordable place to live in Miami-Dade is hard. The area consistently ranks as one of the most unaffordable places to live in the nation. And for moderate to low-income LGBTQ seniors, it can be even harder to find housing. “They are four times less likely to have children,” said Cindy Brown who manages the […]
The Miami skyline is seen on July 14, 2017 in Miami, Florida. 
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How a red-hot housing market made Zillow a media company

Jun 20, 2018
CEO Spencer Rascoff talks surviving the recession to end up in a booming housing market.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Thousands of families displaced by Hurricane Maria are living in hotels. The FEMA program that pays for that is about to end

Jun 15, 2018
Since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in September 2017, thousands of people have fled the island to come to the mainland. Many of them — some 1,600 families — have been staying at hotels paid for by the Transitional Shelter Assistance program from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the program will expire at the end of […]

Philadelphia building tax could fund affordable housing

Jun 12, 2018
Philadelphia City Council is expected to vote this week on what some members see as a potential solution to the city’s affordable housing problem — a 1 percent tax that could fund rental construction and help qualifying home buyers make down payments on houses. But the proposal is controversial. Click the audio player above to hear […]

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For older Puerto Ricans, limited housing is a barrier to mainland life post-Hurricane Maria

Jun 8, 2018
Older evacuees in FEMA's transitional shelter program have special concerns when seeking affordable housing on the mainland.
A flag of Puerto Rico is seen on a damaged house in Yabucoa, in eastern Puerto Rico, on Sept. 28, 2017.
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images

Florida's affordable housing shortage is a roadblock for Hurricane Maria evacuees

May 10, 2018
Puerto Ricans in FEMA's transitional shelter program worry about where they'll go when the program ends June 30.
Activists rally in support of Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria on the steps of New York City Hall in April.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In Puerto Rico, no title, no lease and no assistance to rebuild

Apr 26, 2018
There's no official count of how many people lived in makeshift, informal housing but estimates put over half of the housing on the island as built informally.
Peter Balonon-Rosen/Marketplace