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The seeds to build permanent farmworker housing are planted. Will there be a harvest?

Pam Marino

October 29, 2021 |

Monterey County Weekly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Soledad, California

A research study is spurring change and leading to the addition of more housing units in Soledad. Agriculture is the main industry of the region, making farmworker housing a priority. Vacant housing has been rehabilitated and several new developments have been built to house both year-round and migrant workers.

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An unprecedented state program is already fulfilling its promise to house the most vulnerable

Pam Marino

October 01, 2021 |

Monterey County Weekly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Salinas, California

Over 120 hotels and motels have been converted into affordable housing developments in California, housing 8,260 people who were previously experiencing homelessness. Known as Homekey, the state-funded program was initially meant to quickly house vulnerable populations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Funding for the next two years has already been approved for what advocates are calling “Homekey 2.0.”

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Paris shows how to make public housing greener and more habitable at the same time

Colin Kinniburgh

September 29, 2021 |

Grist |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

Old and neglected housing contributes to climate change because it runs on fossil fuels. In New York, outdated heating systems waste two-thirds of energy. The New York City Housing Authority is not only trying to create better, safer, livable affordable housing, but also cleaner and more sustainable housing. While the city is just beginning to explore how to do that, other cities, like Paris, have already begun the work of updating old buildings that are used for affordable housing and can offer a model for American cities.

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Crossroads Community Services partners with churches, public housing facilities and neighborhood centers to combat food insecurity

Michelle Aslam

May 18, 2021 |

Dallas Morning News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

The Cities of Refuge church, in collaboration with other food banks like Crossroads Community Services, helps provide those in need with access to healthy food and groceries. The Crossroads’ community distribution partner model involves over 100 community partners that serve almost 32,000 people across Dallas and neighboring counties.

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These tenants are organizing to restore safety in their Nanaimo complex

Lauren Kaljur

May 07, 2021 |

The Discourse |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Residents at a subsidized nonprofit family housing complex organized to address safety and drug-use issues that began with the pandemic. Residents use a Facebook chat to communicate and will often warn each other of suspicious activity. They also record every incident in writing, pictures, and video, -- which are shared with the landlord, building manager, the police, and the media – and they maintain a visible presence to ensure visitors know they are seen. As a result, the nonprofit has provided more onsite security and better lighting and two of the four most disruptive tenants at have been evicted.

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Energiesprong wants every home to be net-zero

Willem Marx

April 20, 2021 |

Hothouse Solutions |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Hem

Inspired by the Dutch concept of “Energiesprong,” or “energy jump,” a developer in France retrofitted a group of townhouses for social housing to be more environmentally friendly. They installed polyurethane facades to avoid heat loss and solar panels on the roof. Upgrading the units to be more green cost more than a conventional retrofit, but over time, energy bills were cut in half. These green retrofits are being implemented in towns around the world and could be a model for developers that want to reduce their carbon footprints.

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The secret ingredient in Paris' green public housing

Colin Kinniburgh

March 30, 2021 |

Grist |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

Paris Habitat, the city’s main social housing agency, used hempcrete — a concrete-like mixture of hemp, lime, and water — as insulation in one of its apartment complexes. This material helps maintain temperature and reduces a building’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of using hempcrete can be expensive but making the material is more environmentally friendly, and has shown that it can be implemented for affordable housing and not just for those who already have the means to pay for it.

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California job seekers found new careers with help from a rent relief program. Here's how

Jeong Park

March 09, 2021 |

Sacramento Bee |

Multi-Media |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Stockton, California

Rent relief payments in California are helping public housing residents pursue full-time employment. The Jobs-Plus initiative provides payments that are conditional on enrolling in job training and placement programs. An increased income often disqualifies public housing residents from benefits and subsidies such as food stamps, childcare, and discounted rent rates which can negate the increased income from higher wages or more hours. Rent relief empowers residents to build a security net for themselves in addition to pursing full-time employment without the strain of losing much-needed benefits.

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An Architecture Firm's Push to Build Net-Zero Apartments—on a Budget

Russell Gold

February 05, 2021 |

Wall Street Journal |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Apartments at Front Flats, a new residential building in Philadelphia, is powered by 492 solar panels that are wrapped around the building. The point: to demonstrate that developers can design buildings that are energy-efficient and be built at an affordable cost. It’s not clear yet if the building is “net zero” in terms of producing as much energy as it consumes, but residents are paying only $40 a month for utilities.

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A Tiny Public Housing Authority Offered Residents the Vaccine. Could Others Follow Suit?

Jared Brey

January 12, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Central Falls, Rhode Island

A small public housing authority in Rhode Island took the initiative to develop a methodology to administer the COVID-19 vaccine once the city began to offer the vaccine publicly. While a significant number of the residents had signed up to receive the vaccine, this number increased after the mayor and mayor-elect were publicly vaccinated at the site.

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