As programs that address the needs of middle-income renters become more common, it is crucial to understand the characteristics of the households these programs are intended to serve.
Even with recent cooling, rents are far above pre-pandemic levels, and the relief from new construction is likely to be short-lived due to declines in multifamily starts.
The repair needs of the US housing stock far surpass the resources available but addressing housing deterioration is a crucial step towards ensuring community health, stability, and equity.
Joint Center for Housing Studies
of Harvard University
Our Center strives to improve equitable access to decent, affordable homes in thriving communities and conducts rigorous research to advance policy and practice.
The deterioration and loss of America’s housing is a threat to the health, safety, security, and financial well-being of millions of low-income residents. This paper reviews the range of evidence regarding contemporary US housing conditions and physical performance, the effectiveness of home repairs, and the current landscape of public- and civil-sector programs that provide repairs and the evolving advocacy that has established these programs.
This paper, which is derived from the author's dissertation at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, delves into the community development efforts of Project Row Houses in Houston, Texas. The dissertation examined three prominent African American artists who have used arts-based real estate development to create positive change in their neighborhoods.
Housing affordability challenges have crept increasingly up the income scale and have left a record-high share of middle-income renter households with cost burdens. In response, a growing number of states and localities have adopted policies and programs to address middle-income housing needs. In this research, we consider what these programs are intended to do, what the potential benefits are, whom they serve, and the policy tradeoffs that might occur if we prioritize addressing middle-income rental affordability.
