OverviewEquitable development requires a foundation of affordable housing to give families a stable home base, prevent displacement, and reduce turnover. Unfortunately, housing affordability can be an unpredictable factor in community life. It depends on many factors-whether population is growing in a region; whether there are restrictions on rental increases; whether the general condition of the neighborhood is declining or improving; and how much new housing is being produced in the area. In communities where the housing market is tight, or where new investment is improving the physical appearance of the neighborhood, gentrification puts housing affordability at risk. Get OrientedComparing different kinds of housing tools side by side can help equitable development advocates make good strategy choices to ensure affordable housing in their neighborhoods.
Determining how to increase housing affordability can be difficult. Community activists tend to discuss housing in terms of who is being affected by gentrification and what they envision for their communities. Community development professionals, economists, and government officials, however, often talk in terms of specific housing programs, complete with acronyms and technical language. While it may not be possible to get everyone speaking the same language, Affordable Housing 101 is a workshop intended to help advocates understand their options and match their housing goals with appropriate tools. The workshop includes an introduction to the affordable housing field, a discussion of six sets of tools that can be used to maintain and increase the supply of affordable housing, and an analysis of the relationship between housing and gentrification. Along with some key strategy questions, it includes summaries of specific housing tools discussed in the Equitable Development Toolkit, and provides side-by-side comparisons of those tools. The tool sets discussed are those that:
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