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The problem fueling the essential housing crisis and how to fix it

Jamie Boll Jessica Dyer

June 25, 2021 |

WBTV-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte's tight housing market can prove unaffordable to young professionals, with high rents equal to half a person's income. The "essential housing" niche, a middle ground between luxury homes and lower-cost "affordable" housing, provides an opportunity to economize on construction costs and pass those savings on to renters. Fewer apartment floor plan options and fancy amenities can translate into rents up to $700 less, a marketing strategy that has given the developer a strong rental business – and its younger customers a relative bargain in an expensive market.

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FS Investments takes its poverty-fighting work nationwide

Jessica Blatt Press

June 21, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Financial Scholars is bringing financial literacy to students and their families as well. Students are taught about credit scores, bank accounts, and budgets, as well as entrepreneurial skills through an experience that could culminate in a $1,000 prize and help starting a business if it wins. Adults are invited to come in on weekends and weeknights to learn the same curriculum. Local companies have financed the program which strives to take the first steps towards bridging the racial wealth gap.

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Delivery Apps like Grubhub and DoorDash charge restaurants huge commission fees. Are delivery co-ops the solution?

Vivienne Machi

June 15, 2021 |

The Counter |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lexington, Kentucky

Delivery cooperatives are being formed as alternatives by drivers who are pooling their money and charging customers a one-time fee in a subscription-based model. Customers and restaurants alike pay a set monthly fee for delivery services without any extra or hidden costs. Drivers are full-time employees that are eligible for benefits such as medical insurance and profit-sharing options. Restaurants are able to avoid exorbitant commission fees while drivers avoid predatory business practices.

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The mice that roared: how eight tiny countries took on foreign fishing fleets

Christopher Pala

June 15, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Marshall Islands

Regional cooperation has yielded both big profits and environmental protection to eight small Pacific island nations. Some of the world’s richest countries were overfishing their waters and making billions of dollars doing it - until the tiny islands decided to sell fishing rights as a collective while putting sustainable limits on the commercial activity.

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Minnesota Repurposes Transit Buses to Give COVID-19 Vaccines to Communities That Need Them Most

Henry Pan

June 10, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

With extra buses available due to lower ridership during the pandemic, Metro Transit worked with key partners to turn six buses into mobile vaccination clinics. Metro Transit provided drivers and retrofitted the buses by removing seats, relocating stanchions, and ensuring buses could draw power from electrical outlets. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota provided staff and licensed clinicians to administer the vaccines. The health department provided funding that made it all come together. The buses prioritized areas with gaps in vaccine access, including low-income areas and communities of color.

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Co-ops are democratizing the food chain

Jaisal Noor

June 10, 2021 |

The Real News Network |

Video |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The food-supply business is known for exploitative pay and poor working conditions. But Brooklyn Packers, a Black-owned cooperative launched in 2016, pays its owner-workers and vendors fair wages and is founded on traditions in the Black community of food sovereignty and mutual aid. Those values paid off at the start of the pandemic, when demand for fresh produce deliveries exploded. Brooklyn Packers retooled its business model to meet the demand, showing that a non-hierarchical business can move quickly.

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Sustaining the Work of Artists With a Living Wage and Benefits In Western Massachusetts

Emily Nonko

June 09, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

Artists at Work is a pilot project of THE OFFICE performing arts + film that paired artists with cultural and community partners to work on local initiatives. For their work, the artists were paid a living wage, including healthcare, which resulted in responses to issues like youth mental health, food justice, and COVID-19 awareness campaigns in communities that are marginalized. From empowering youth to build community through food and farming to engaging young queer people of color, the successful six-month pilot led to a new fundraising campaign to continue and expand to seven regions across the U.S.

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How to make space

Jimmy Thomson

May 19, 2021 |

Capital Daily |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Victoria, British Columbia

Canadian cities lack the housing supply to keep up with demand and zoning laws are partly to blame. Land is designated specifically for single-family homes, which is the least efficient use of space, generates the lowest tax revenue, and contributes to more traffic and fewer public transportation options. The zoning rules are meant to prevent one problem, overly dense cities and their attendant problems, but its unintended consequence is a market that's priced most people out of it.

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‘Solar For All' Brings Clean Energy to Low- and Middle-Income DC Residents

Ambika Chawla

May 14, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

An initiative to bring solar power to public housing in D.C. is helping residents of Jubilee Housing. Community solar, which shares the electricity generated amongst multiple households, makes solar energy an affordable option. Solar credits can provide a significant relief to households that need it most.

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How co-ops across the US weathered COVID-19 by prioritizing their workers

Jaisal Noor

May 13, 2021 |

The Real News Network |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Worker-run co-ops in the food industry and in the care sector, industries hard hit by COVID-19, have proved resilient in weathering the pandemic. Some, like Cooperative Home Care Associates, partnered with other co-ops to provide discounted PPE supplies for workers. Others provide job opportunities for people who have trouble getting a foothold, like ChiFresh Kitchen’s formerly incarcerated women worker-owners and Red Emma’s in Baltimore. Worker-owner models can also pivot operations more quickly, which helped Brooklyn Packers respond to the pandemic by providing fresh produce to those in need.

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