NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES

Five-Part OSAH Podcast Series with the American Institute of Architects: Highlighting the Critical Partnership Between Architects and Housing Advocates
The campaign and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced today the release of a jointly produced five-part podcast series on the Opportunity Starts at Home podcast. This special series, created in collaboration with AIA’s Housing & Community Development Knowledge Community’s Right-to-Housing Working Group, highlights the multi-sector impacts of affordable housing. Featuring insightful conversations with architects, the episodes explore:

  • How the human-centered design of housing can create enduring, supportive communities.
  • How federal policies can address racial inequities and economic injustices in housing.
  • Real-world examples of architectural innovations driving equity and sustainability.

Hosted by Chantelle Wilkinson and Julie Walker of the campaign, the series delves into the importance of adopting a multi-sector approach to housing advocacy involving architects in pivotal roles for achieving a just and equitable future.

Background 
In 2017, AIA declared that access to housing was a “fundamental right.” But what does that mean in practice? How can architects and advocates collaborate to make quality housing accessible for all? The podcast series explores these questions in ways meant to resonate with architects, policymakers, educators, advocates, and members of the public curious about the intersections of housing, human rights, and public policy.

Schedule
Throughout January and February 2025, new episodes will be released weekly on Soundcloud, Apple, and Spotify.
 

Listen to the OSAH Podcast

Advancing Bipartisan Housing Solutions: Watch the Congressional Briefing
The campaign and the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a congressional briefing last month to discuss the cross-sector impacts of affordable housing and how the “Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act,” “Eviction Crisis Act,” Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) Act,” and “Choice in Affordable Housing Act ” support the health and wellbeing of families nationwide. Chantelle Wilkinson, OSAH Campaign Director, moderated a panel of experts to share research on the potential impact of the bills for families and children and to discuss the bipartisan public support for the bills’ provisions. The briefing concluded with a call to action for elected officials to cosponsor and support the bills in the House and Senate.

Briefing speakers included:

  • Opening remarks, Michael Kelley, Director of BPC Action
  • Moderator, Chantelle Wilkinson, Director of the OSAH campaign
  • Carl Gershenson, Lab Director at Eviction Lab
  • Dr. Stefanie DeLuca, James Coleman Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at Johns Hopkins University
  • Charlotte Bruce, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at Children’s HealthWatch
  • Greg Brown, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Apartment Association
 

Watch the Briefing

Campaign Releases Article Exploring the Connections Between Affordable Housing and the K-12 Achievement Gap
The campaign has released a new article that explores the role of housing instability in exacerbating the K-12 achievement gap and the positive impacts of affordable housing on educational outcomes. The “achievement gap” in education – that is, the disparity in academic performance outcomes between groups of students by race and socioeconomic status – is influenced by students’ access to critical resources including stable, affordable housing. The new article shows how housing instability leads to high rates of absenteeism and school transfers and disruptions, lower test scores and graduation rates, and greater risks to cognitive development and mental health. These barriers limit access to higher education and career opportunities for students who experience housing instability, perpetuating the cycle of poverty for students from families with low incomes.

The article also highlights research demonstrating that access to affordable housing increases the likelihood of children from families with low incomes attending college and earning more as adults. The article concludes by uplifting the campaign’s policy priorities as a component of any long-term solution for closing the achievement gap in education and calls for collaboration among housing authorities, schools, and local governments to align housing policies with educational reforms and improve educational outcomes for children most impacted by the achievement gap.
 

Read the Article

Campaign Releases Updated Fact Sheet on Housing and Economic Mobility
The campaign released an updated fact sheet, “Economic Mobility and Anti-Poverty Advocates are Housing Advocates,” highlighting the effects of affordable housing on economic mobility for low-income households. Research consistently shows that where a person lives significantly impacts their ability to achieve upward mobility. Affordable housing programs that offer educational support, provide individualized services, and build relationships between participants and staff are found to be the most successful in supporting upward mobility. Increasing access to affordable housing is also found to be a cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood poverty.

Developed in collaboration with key partners, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities – a member of the campaign’s Steering Committee – the updated fact sheet highlights foundational and new research findings. The fact sheet also calls for policy solutions to expand access to affordable housing in well-resourced neighborhoods of a household’s choice.
 

Read the Fact Sheet

Fact of the Month: Universal rental assistance would cut poverty rates by 29% for Latine people, by almost one-fifth for Black, Asian, and Pacific Islander peoples, and by 11% for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities