LIHTC and schools: The latest in our series of reports and policy briefs on the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program looks at how state allocation plans can support school integration goals and expand access to high performing schools. See our new policy brief, “How States’ Low Income Housing Tax Credit Allocation Plans Can Help Increase Students’ Access to Integrated, Well-Resourced Schools: A Guide for Education Advocates.”
Choice Neighborhoods and schools: In response to a request for comments from HUD, we raised again the value of including engagement with local school districts in the public housing redevelopment process, and the importance of expanding the educational prospects of children in the redevelopment area. As we pointed out in our letter, the Department of Education has recently prioritized engagement with housing agencies for school districts participating in the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, and HUD should consider reciprocating.
Incentivizing voucher acceptance: Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored mortgage financer, has expanded its voluntary “Expanded Housing Choice Initiative,” which provides attractive mortgage terms for multifamily rental properties that commit to accepting Housing Choice Vouchers. The program, which started in Texas and North Carolina, is limited to jurisdictions without source of income discrimination laws.
Other resources
Teaching for Change has released the second edition of Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching, an important teaching tool originally published jointly with PRRAC in 2004. The new edition and companion website offer a collection of lessons, essays, articles, primary documents, and poetry to help educators move beyond a “heroes and holidays” approach to teaching about the Civil Rights Movement in K–12 classrooms. The focus is on the themes of women, youth, organizing, culture, institutional racism, and the interconnectedness of social movements. Book release event next Wednesday in DC at Busboys and Poets in Brookland.
Private equity and the housing market: New report from the Institute for Policy Studies and the Center for Popular Democracy: “Billionaire Blowback On Housing: How concentrated wealth disrupts housing markets and worsens the housing affordability crisis”
Lawyers Committee is hiring: The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Fair Housing & Community Development division is hiring a staff attorney – see the listing here.
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