Analysis and points of view on research, trends, issues, ideas and opportunities.
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,
The end of the longest government shutdown in American history means the resumption of the long-awaited monthly economic data releases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, the November BLS jobs report and a number of other noteworthy economic data releases have been delayed for weeks. What we know about the state of the
No Christmas Miracle This Year: December 2025 Race, Jobs and Economy Update Read More »
As homeownership in the US gets less accessible, the Mississippi County, Arkansas Economics Opportunity Commission, Inc. (MCAEOC) is empowering its rural community members to become homeowners and build economic security by way of their support services. MCAEOC is one of 15 community action agencies in the state that were established under the 1964 Economic Opportunity
Arkansas Agency Empowers Low-Income Residents to Become First-Time Homebuyers Read More »
The nation’s largest crypto firms are looking to consolidate their power to the detriment of their customers and communities already lacking vital consumer protections and economic development opportunities. As more and more digital currency companies are vying for financial legitimacy by becoming a national trust bank via the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Immigrant households often face significant challenges in their pursuit of financial stability, from learning a new language to better their chances of finding work to navigating their new country’s court system. It was these challenges that inspired advocates in Birmingham, Alabama to create the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama (¡HICA!). ¡HICA! was founded in
“Providing support for everyday needs”: How ¡HICA! advances economic equity in Alabama Read More »
With President Trump walking away from fair lending enforcement, it’s more important than ever to report fair lending violations.
Van Tol: If President Trump Won’t Enforce Fair Lending Laws, Nonprofits Will Read More »
Locally-owned small businesses are almost universally admired. Yet, in a banking industry where bigger is seen as better, warm words rarely translate into hard cash. Small businesses have become a viable pathway towards economic mobility for entrepreneurs and the cornerstone of community development revitalization efforts in historically underinvested communities. However, minority-owned businesses have had to
