Our Homes: Ending the Housing Crisis

• Our Homes - Ending the Housing Crisis: An Empty Homes Tax for Honolulu

  In this episode of Our Homes, Ellen Carson and Keith Webster (advocates for Faith Action for Community Equity, a nonprofit focusing on housing and homelessness solutions) speak about an empty homes tax under consideration by the Honolulu City Council. Modeled after Vancouver, Canada’s tax, Honolulu’s proposal would be levied on an empty home’s assessed value, on a graduated rate with a 3 year phase. Faith Action for Community Equity believes this would disincentivize non-resident buyers and create a funding mechanism to support more housing construction and homeless services.

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• Our Homes - Ending the Housing Crisis: The Great Housing Hijack

  In this episode of Our Homes, Dr. Cameron Murray, Australian economist and author of “The Great Housing Hijack,” speaks about the myths surrounding housing markets in Australia and elsewhere. Murray believes that high housing cost jurisdictions suffer from inequitable distribution of housing, not mere supply shortage. These housing shortages have been observed over the centuries, meaning that regulation alone cannot explain them. An alternative to the free market is required to aid those who cannot access a home. Jurisdictions need to implement a low-price alternative to rent or buy homes, like the Singapore model, which is already available to certain groups in Australia, like military servicemembers. This episode of Our Homes was hosted by Senator Stanley Chang.

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• Our Homes - Ending the Housing Crisis: A New Generation of Public Development in Boston, MA

  In this episode of Our Homes, Kenzie Bok, the Administrator for the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), shares BHA’s plan to end the City’s housing shortage in part by building 3,000 mixed-income Faircloth units. This decision was spurred by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s decision to almost triple the subsidy amount available for Faircloth units. The authority has currently identified two sites, and Bok speaks on the current obstacles and the importance of their mixed-income, mixed-use, and revenue neutral building plans. Bok further speaks on the necessity of government’s role as provider of safe and affordable housing. This episode of Our Homes was hosted by Senator Stanley Chang.

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• Our Homes - Ending the Housing Crisis: How to Build Permanent Supportive Housing for Less

  In this episode of Our Homes, Dan Rinzler, Associate Research Director with the California Housing Partnership, shares his evaluation of Tahanan, a recently constructed permanent supportive housing (PSH) project in San Francisco. Tahanan’s development utilized cost-saving measures in financing, design, and construction, reducing residential costs and development times by roughly 40 percent compared to other PSH projects in San Francisco. Tahanan’s success and departure from common development practices represent an opportunity to reassess PSH requirements that delay and increase costs on this critical need. This episode of Our Homes was hosted by Senator Stanley Chang.

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• Our Homes - Ending the Housing Crisis: How Arizona Unlocked a Large New Source of Funding for Housing the Homeless

  In this episode of Our Homes, Shreya Arakere, Liz Da Costa, and Alex Dayman from Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Arizona's Medicaid program, discussed how Medicaid waivers are a new funding source for housing the homeless in Arizona. Arizona’s Medicaid will be able to provide six months of transitional housing for individuals moving from insecure environments like homeless shelters and group/foster homes. Arizona’s Medicaid will also offer case management, educational outreach, and other housing services under their Housing and Health Opportunities Waiver (H2O). With nearly 37,000 homeless and at-risk residents, Arizona’s new source of funding for housing the homeless will positively impact their state immensely. This episode of Our Homes was hosted by Senator Stanley Chang.

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