Subject: Weekly Shelterforce Poll

  • What Does It Mean for a Neighborhood to be Stable?

    What should be the focus of a neighborhood stabilization program? It's an ongoing topic of conversation within community development organizations when deciding where efforts should be focused for the betterment of a neighborhood. Just as the residents themselves are complex,…

  • What Do We Call Affordable Housing?

    Affordable housing? "We've eradicated that phrase from our language," says Staci Berger of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey in Winton Pitcoff's article "Silence on the Stump." John Miller of the Oregon Opportunity Network agreed, saying they are…

  • What Are the Goals of Community Planning?

    What are our priorities when it comes to neighborhood planning? According to the results of a public opinion poll conducted by the American Planning Association, "Americans want planners to focus most on creating jobs—followed by safety, schools, protecting neighborhoods, and…

  • Is Demo a Good Use of AG Settlement Funds?

    While the $25 billion national mortgage settlement is widely viewed as a "first step" toward fixing a larger system that resulted widespread foreclosures and $700 billion lost in home value in 2011 alone, we're now seeing plans that seek to…

  • Are Things Really Looking Up in the Housing Market?

    Where are those "green shoots" in the housing market? With unemployement numbers slowly coming down, and with the economy making small, but sustained advances, we've also heard some good news related to the housing market. So, the market is improving,…

  • Does the Current Reliance on Credit Scores Deny Deserving Applicants?

    Last week, we asked readers if credit scores were too much of a driver in home loan approval. You answered overwhelmingly that yes, credit scores prevent often worth applicants from receiving loans, and that while scores can provide some useful…

  • Can Nonprofits Use Volunteerism to Achieve a Sustained Increase in Capacity?

    Last week, we asked readers if volunteerism could play a factor in growing an organization’s capacity. Respondents offered a mixed assessment to the level at which volunteerism can make an impact, but agreed that volunteers play valuable rolls, particularly in…

  • Will the Occupy Wall Street Crackdowns Energize or Deflate the Movement?

    Last week we asked you how the widespread crackdowns on the Occupy Wall Street protests would affect the movement. More than half of respondents thought the movement would be energized, many of you said the movement would suffer while others…

  • Do You Incorporate Green Building Principles Into Your Development Work?

    Last week, we asked if you about adhering to green building principles in your development work and the response was unanimous: you do, and you told us why! See selected reader responses at the break more