Miriam Axel-Lute

3 weeks ago | shelterforce.org | Miriam Axel-Lute |Miriam Axel Lute

Fifty years ago this week, news was being made in New Jersey that would get coverage in Shelterforce’s very first issue—a decision in the case of Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Township of Mount Laurel. That New Jersey Supreme Court ruling, together with a subsequent one, formed what is known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine, which requires that all New Jersey municipalities provide their “fair share” of the affordable housing needed in the state.

2 months ago | shelterforce.org | Miriam Axel-Lute |Miriam Axel Lute

We talk quite a lot about investors and speculators in in the housing world these days. People say that “investors” are buying up single-family homes and “speculators” are sitting on empty lots. But the terms are often used interchangeably, or at least imprecisely, with any private for-profit owner other than an individual called an investor, and anyone we really don’t like called a speculator.

2 months ago | shelterforce.org | Miriam Axel-Lute |Miriam Axel Lute

Housing providers that get federal funding were thrown into chaos and concern this week over a memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) declaring a federal funding freeze until programs were shown to comply with a raft of executive orders. Late in the afternoon on Tuesday, Jan. 28, shortly before the order was scheduled to take effect at 5 p.m. ET, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan temporarily blocked the decision, delaying its implementation until Feb. 3.

2 months ago | shelterforce.org | Miriam Axel-Lute |Miriam Axel Lute

Just as President Trump’s order to freeze federal funding was scheduled to take effect on Tuesday, Jan. 28, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan temporarily blocked the decision. The freeze on funds that have already been appropriated has been delayed until Feb. 3. The freeze quickly met with widespread opposition, including lawsuits. Challengers say the move was not only disastrous for American families, but an illegal overreach restricting funds that have already been appropriated.

Jan 23, 2025 | shelterforce.org | Miriam Axel-Lute |Miriam Axel Lute

Published: January 23, 2025 What does it mean to say housing is “affordable”? Let’s begin at the beginning. At the most basic level, housing is “affordable” if, after you pay for it, you still have enough left over to cover the rest of your basic expenses. Of course this is finicky to measure, because what constitutes “enough for basic expenses” can be a matter of opinion.