ProGov21 Policy Library

A Guide to Proactive Rental Inspection Programs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Public Safety, Public Spaces

Localities should maintain code enforcement programs to improve both housing conditions and residents' wellbeing. This guide outlines the benefits of proactive rental inspection programs and provides an overview of program design. It recommends involving diverse stakeholders and community...

Legal Protections for LGBT People After Bostock v. Clayton County

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Williams Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Housing, Education

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County affirmed that Title VII protects employees nationwide from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Courts have often looked to Title VII case law when interpreting analogous provisions...

The Case for Parks and Affordable Housing Joint Development

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source Los Angeles Regional Open Space and Affordable Housing Collaborative

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Health, Public Spaces

This guide outlines how coordinating affordable housing development with park expansions can help municipal park agencies serve low-income households without raising concerns about gentrification and displacement. It recommends targeting these coordinated projects in transit-rich...

New Orleans Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) Louisiana

Source City of New Orleans

Policy Areas Community Development, Housing, Public Safety

This ordinance outlines use and design standards for both rental and owner-occupied affordable housing. It requires that at least 10% of units in new developments within eligible zones are made affordable and ensures that these units will incorporate the same design features and have...

Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source National Low Income Housing Coalition

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

Rents are rising faster than wages, and tenants in many states are burdened by the end of pandemic-era benefits programs that had helped dampen a hostile national housing market. This report examines disparities between wages and rental housing prices across the country and finds...

Housing Choice Voucher Landlord Guidebook: Education and Outreach

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education, Housing

Public housing agencies (PHAs) can use effective education and outreach strategies to recruit and retain Housing Choice Voucher landlords. This guide outlines best practices for establishing relationships between landlords, tenants and PHAs through education and outreach, and provides...

The Eviction Prevention Cohort: Highlights from the Five-City Pilot

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Housing

The Eviction Prevention Cohort is a partnership between NLC, Stanford Legal Design Lab, and five cities across the U.S. to study the long-term impacts of mass evictions - particularly on low-income and BIPOC households - and to design, implement, and institutionalize effective policies...

2019 San Francisco Ordinance 79-19 Granting Non-profit Organizations First Right of Purchase to Preserve Affordable Housing

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing

This ordinance grants certain nonprofit organizations the right to make first offers on multi-family residential buildings, provided that the property is used to create or preserve rent-restricted affordable housing. This ordinance aims to incentivize sellers by reducing general transaction...

Greening Without Gentrification: Learning from Parks-Related Anti-Displacement Strategies Nationwide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing, Public Spaces

When parks are built in historically marginalized areas they can contribute to 'green gentrification' as improved access to natural spaces increases property values and brings an influx of wealthier residents. This guide outlines policy strategies for greening marginalized communities...

Denver Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Summary of Rules and Regulations

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level City or Town, County

State(s) Colorado

Source City of Denver

Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Housing

The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) was enacted in 2002 and is the Denver Office of Economic Development's primary tool to facilitate home-ownership opportunities for people earning between 50% and 95% of area median income. The IHO requires all newly constructed housing development...

Highlights of Adopted Amendments to Expand Housing Options

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) Virginia

Source Arlington County

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

This guide outlines important considerations for zoning and land use policies that expand housing options and improve affordability. It finds these policies allow for multiplex development in previously single-use restricted zones, preserve maximum lot coverage and set back standards...

2) 2023 New York City Ordinance 1252 Establishing a Task Force Addressing Housing for Incarcerated Transgender Individuals

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) New York

Source City of New York

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Housing

Transgender, gender nonconforming, and intersex individuals often face uninformed or discriminatory practices at the hands of public institutions. This ordinance establishes a task force to address policies related to the treatment of current or formerly incarcerated individuals within...

A New Culprit in the Housing Crisis: Rent-Setting Software Algorithms

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Data & Technology, Economic Justice, Housing

Rent-setting algorithms inflate housing costs by illegally fixing rent prices among the large group of landlords that use them. This memo outlines steps local governments can take to combat algorithmic price fixing and recommends using ordinances to ban these practices and working...

Relocation assistance to Tenants Displaced from their Homes

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Housing

This guide details relocation payments and assistance available to tenants that are displaced by rehabilitation, demolition, or acquisition of a project that has received federal funding. It highlights assistance options including advisory services, payment for moving expenses, and...

Message Guide: Advancing Health and Equity Through Housing

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Health, Housing

This communications guide provides customizable messaging for healthy housing policies based on city's priority issues, decision-making structure and specific policy goals. It is for anyone working to build support for healthy housing within city government, among key stakeholders...

Building Blocks: Understanding and responding to Waukesha County’s housing affordability challenges

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County

State(s) Wisconsin

Source Wisconsin Policy Forum

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Housing

This report examines market characteristics and barriers to affordable and workforce housing development in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. It outlines the extent of affordable housing development in the county over past years, financing approaches, and best practices for increasing the...

Municipal Liens: Procedures for Filing, Perfecting, and Collecting

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source Illinois Municipal League

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement, Housing, Public Spaces

This guide provides an overview of liens available to municipalities under Illinois state law and provides examples of how cities should assess and enforce liens. Properties that are abandoned or liable for taxes, require excessive pest extermination efforts, or intensive removal...

Reduce Evictions and Transform the System: Lessons from Philadelphia

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) All States, Pennsylvania

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

Local officials must devise innovative strategies for mitigating eviction and improving housing affordability. This brief highlights Philadelphia's eviction reduction strategies, including public information campaigns about the negative impacts of eviction, implementing eviction moratoriums,...

Through the Roof: What Communities Can Do About the High Cost of Rental Housing in America

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Lincoln Institue of Land Policy

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

This report examines the causes and consequences of rising housing costs and provides a framework for local governments to create and preserve affordable units, reduce barriers to new units, help households access private market housing, and protect against displacement and poor living...

Bridging the Gap: Creating Income Restricted Housing Through Inclusionary Development

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) Massachusetts

Source Boston Planning and Development Agency

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing

Boston's Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) bridges the affordability gap faced by households that are ineligible for subsidies but still unable to afford housing. The policy requires developers to include affordable units in their projects or contribute to a city-wide affordable...

Eviction Prevention: A Guide for Local Governments

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Housing

Eviction prevention involves laying the foundation for systems that will foster housing stability for communities in the long-term. This report shares recommendations to local governments looking to build a successful eviction prevention strategy that is responsive to community needs....

Who Can Afford to Rent in California's Many Regions?

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2021

Level State

State(s) California

Source California Housing Partnership

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing

Housing in California has been setting record prices for years now. Rental prices have also reached unprecedented levels sparking concerns about living costs. This policy brief highlights the reality of rental cost burdens for Californians who earn less than their county's median...

Massachusetts Inclusionary Zoning Model Bylaw

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2007

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) Massachusetts

Source Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Policy Areas Community Development, Housing

This model law promotes affordable housing by introducing inclusive zoning, incentivizing the construction of affordable housing, and requires certain developments to include at least 10 low-income housing units. It also outlines exemptions and incentives available to developers who...

Beyond Neoliberalism: A Policy Agenda for a Progressive City

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Drexel University

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

Progressive cities should embrace redistributive policies and community organizing to increase equality in employment, affordable housing, and public transportation, and mitigate adverse environmental impacts. This report examines systemic inequities and provides progressive solutions...

2021 Tacoma Housing Action Plan and Comprehensive Plan Amendment Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) Washington

Source City of Tacoma

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing

This report outlines Tacoma's Affordable Housing Action Strategy for improving housing affordability, reducing displacement, and ensuring that housing growth compliments neighborhoods. It establishes city-wide development goals and provides detailed planning and zoning diagrams. ...

ProGov21 Policy Library

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