In the midst of the pandemic, hope was in the air as construction proceeded on a one-of-a-kind housing project to serve a portion of Albuquerque's homeless community.

A state-of-the-art facility called Hope Village north of downtown recently opened its doors, offering 42 residents housing, along with mental, behavioral and medical services.

Abby Long, program manager for Hope Village, believes there is a social benefit to having services centralized, rather than spread around the city, which is a typical situation for the unhoused.

"They all signed leases, they all have their own apartments, their own agency and autonomy," Long outlined. "Because with scattered-site housing it's very isolating and can be very depressing, so we wanted to make sure that we are offering a different community."

Hope Village is a $12 million collaborative effort between the city, county and financing agencies spearheaded by Hopeworks, a nonprofit focused on ending homelessness. Long would like to see New Mexico achieve the same success as Utah, which reduced its homeless population from 2,000 in 2005 to around 200 by 2015, by providing shelter and services.

Because it is brand-new construction and not retrofitted, Long pointed out the architecture allowed trauma-informed design, which is intended to promote greater well-being for occupants.

"It's developed so that people that have experienced a lot of trauma feel safer," Long noted. "There are small little things around windows and the ways the hallways are organized and with lines of sight."

Rachel Rodriguez, chief development and communications officer for HopeWork and the Hope Center, said the project is a new approach for the city toward homelessness, because criminalization does not work. She added before any construction began, a yearlong discussion was held with the area's neighbors to get their buy-in.

"We were really fortunate that they weren't wholeheartedly 'not in my backyard,' " Rodriguez acknowledged. "They said, 'OK, if this is going to be here, we would like to have some input and to ask some questions and to offer some suggestions.' "

According to HopeWorks, 63% of extremely low income households in Albuquerque are headed by a person identifying as Black, Indigenous or a person of color, with a household income of about $24,000 per year for a family of four.

A recent report examines Connecticut's eviction crisis and addresses some solutions to it. The report from Connecticut Voices for Children finds 39% of renters in the state who were not current on rent payments felt they would be evicted in the next two months. That rate was higher for Black and Latino renters, reaching 54% and 56% respectively. The report also finds high absenteeism rates correlate to some kids facing housing insecurity. But, the report takes a look at some short-term policy recommendations to help renters in the state.

Samaila Adelaiye, research and policy fellow with Connecticut Voices for Children, said one of the primary areas of focus was income support.

"When it comes to income and income equivalent supports, we make recommendations for making the Connecticut property tax credit fully refundable and available to renters. Because while renters indirectly pay property taxes, they do not have access to relief through Connecticut's property tax credit," Adelaiye said.

He added they support different pieces of legislation addressing tenant protections. Other recommendations in the report include increasing funding for rental assistance, making a state child tax credit permanent, and sustaining funding for the state's Right to Counsel program. This report is one of a two-part series; the second report will address more long-term solutions.

Although the report provides avenues for alleviating Connecticut's eviction crisis, there are additional questions it raises. Adelaiye noted most of these revolve around renters in the state having enough money for other necessities outside of rent. He said there are numerous issues coming out of the state's housing crisis.

"We know that evictions particularly are the product of the housing affordability crisis is causing more socio-economic harm, increasing financial strain leading in some cases to homelessness."

From here, Adelaiye said the high cost of housing must be addressed, with rent caps being one way to do that. Currently, Connecticut Senate Bill 4 would have included a rent cap, but that was eliminated while the bill was in committee. However, should the bill pass, it will allow for a series of tenant protections including a winter eviction moratorium, making it illegal to evict anyone from December through March.

Ohio's affordable housing shortage has worsened over the past year, according to new data from the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The report found economic disruptions driven by the pandemic and a shrinking housing supply nationwide have left only 40 units available for every 100 Ohioans seeking affordable housing.

Amy Riegel, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, said more than 400,000 low-income residents are currently burdened by steep rents.

"Sixty-eight percent of them are not living in affordable housing," Riegel reported. "And not only are they not living in affordable housing, they are paying more than 50% of their income on rent and utilities. "

According to data from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, apartment rents were up 12% nationally in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the year prior, with increases in several metro areas exceeding 20%.

In his executive budget, Gov. Mike DeWine proposed expanding the Ohio Housing Trust Fund and creating an affordable housing tax credit. Riegel explained the tax credit would help spur additional housing development.

"It would allow for the state to add more units through this tool that will build upon current programs that already exist, but take them to the next level," Riegel noted. "We know with what we have today is not enough. So it's now time that we have to add new items."

Recent data from the personal finance company NerdWallet shows Cleveland, along with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are the only two cities in the nation ranked as affordable for first-time homebuyers.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

Affordable housing is a major concern in Washington state and lawmakers in Olympia are considering a slate of measures to address it.

One option is around funding for the Housing and Essential Needs program, which provides rental assistance for low-income Washingtonians with temporary or permanent disabilities which keep them from working.

Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy for the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, said Gov. Jay Inslee proposed increasing the program's funding by $15 million in his budget, but it would still result in an $11 million decrease this funding cycle.

"Because the program, even with this extra COVID dollars over the last two years, has still not been able to meet the need, we will feel this in our communities," Thomas asserted. "It will feel like a cut, and less people will be served at a time where rents are so high that people desperately need rental assistance."

Thomas stressed the Housing and Essential Needs program is not an entitlement, and so when funds run out, access to the program does as well. She also noted rental assistance through this program ends when people qualify for Social Security benefits, which Thomas said is not enough to keep up with today's rents. House Bill 1260 would change it.

Thomas noted real estate activity funds homelessness services, but is down dramatically, so House and Senate lawmakers should keep this in mind as they craft their budgets.

"If the state doesn't take action to backfill that document recording fee shortfall out of the General Fund state operating budget, every community across the state will see cuts this year to homeless services," Thomas emphasized.

Thomas added keeping people in their homes is a big component of homelessness services, and argued the Legislature needs to take housing pressure off everyone.

"All communities are being impacted by these high rent increases," Thomas pointed out. "And in the end, it costs the state a lot of money if the state wants to try to continue to keep the level of funding consistent with homeless services."

The session is scheduled to end April 23.


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