Analysis and points of view on research, trends, issues, ideas and opportunities.
Congress Tackles the Benefits Cliff Senator John Husted (R-OH) recently introduced the Upward Mobility Act, which proposes pilot projects that would allow five states to combine funding streams for anti-poverty programs to help eliminate benefits cliffs. The legislation takes aim at a major flaw in the current design of the social safety net that disincentivizes […]
The anti-redlining movement took shape in the 1970s as a response to long-standing obstacles that made it difficult for all communities to prosper. Financial companies engaged in redlining by mapping out neighborhoods they refused to serve. Loans to people of color were denied at higher rates, or originated at higher costs, to the borrower. Blind
On February 3, President Trump signed H.R.7148 Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 into law, which will fund most of the federal government until September 30. The package included five of the six remaining appropriations bills and corresponding earmarks that Congress had not yet passed: Financial Services and General Government State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Defense Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Transportation,
FY 2026 Budget Deal: Final Funding for HUD, CDFI, SBA – and What’s Next for DHS Read More »
In December of last year, Senator Bernie Sanders called for a national moratorium on the construction of data centers “that are powering the unregulated sprint to develop & deploy AI.” Sanders’ stand follows bipartisan backlash resisting proposals to construct data centers in communities across the country. Recent reporting from Data Center Watch shows an estimated
Coinciding with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released its annual State of the Dream report.
New Report Finds That Economic Conditions Are Deteriorating For African Americans Read More »
2025 was a year of slowing job gains, a bifurcated consumer economy and trade war uncertainties. These negative trends will likely continue and intensify in 2026. The last jobs report for the year produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics only further confirms the anemic nature of the jobs market. The economy added a modest
In a New Year, Old Uncertainties Remain: January 2026’s Race, Jobs and the Economy Recap Read More »
Attracting new investments in lower-income neighborhoods can feel like a Sisyphean challenge for many communities. But, there is a group that seems to have found a magic formula for combining the best efforts of community leaders, elected officials and policy professionals to create lasting change. Working in Neighborhoods (WIN) was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in
Homeownership isn’t just part of the American dream – it’s a critical tool for building wealth and financial security. Because unique federal rules and regulations make it harder for tribal communities to achieve homeownership, the Tribal Homeownership Coalition of the Southwest (THOCSW) is working to bridge that gap. Founded in 1999 and serving Native communities
As financial pressures mount for American families, one of their most trusted allies is quietly being pushed to the brink: housing counselors. Last year’s 43-day government shutdown, coupled with the threat of another in January, has delayed HUD’s annual Housing Counseling funding application. These delays don’t exist in a vacuum, exacerbating hardships for low- and moderate-income families already struggling to afford rent and
The federal government shutdown that began on October 1 created immediate uncertainty for millions of households that rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Although the shutdown has ended, the disruption revealed how fragile our nation’s food assistance infrastructure really is. A single lapse in federal funding brought SNAP to the brink of severe
After the Shutdown: What We Learned about SNAP’s Vulnerabilities Read More »
For 37 years, CASA of Oregon has been helping turn marginalized farmworker families into financially empowered landowners. Founded in 1988, CASA of Oregon began as a development consultant agency working with other nonprofits and housing authorities creating affordable housing for farmworkers and their families across Oregon. The organization now operates four interconnected programs, including affordable
Founded in 1973, the Empire Justice Center (EJC) is a legal advocacy nonprofit that fights for social and economic justice for disenfranchised New Yorkers by protecting and expanding their legal rights. Using a multi-pronged approach that focuses on litigation, education and advocacy efforts, EJC has provided services to more than 12 million people across a
After years of accelerating bank branch closures that doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s bank branch network appears to be approaching a new historic low despite a slowing rate of closures. The most recent data shows that 584 net branch closures occurred between 2024 and 2025. This is a dramatic slowdown from the 200 net
Bank Branch Closures Slow, But Shifting Demographics Cloud the Picture Read More »
The formal segregation of housing finance imposed by 20th century redlining was officially withdrawn decades ago. Yet, the lines of those old redlining maps remain etched into the landscape of many American cities. Recently, we’ve been told by skeptics, like some academics and banks, that redlining is ancient history. That the federal and banking industry
Historic Redlining’s Effects on Home Mortgages Today Read More »
In South King County, Washington, the African Community Housing & Development (ACHD) organization works to re-envision what community-driven housing development looks like for African immigrant communities. ACHD was established in 2018 from the community organizing efforts of Somali American mother and daughter Hamdi Abdulle and Bilan Aden. In the seven years since its inception,
