Photo: Julian Castro tests out the beds at a supportive housing center before his Liberty and Justice event speech. Away from the rain and a slew of competitors' supporters last Friday, Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro toured affordable housing units at...
2020 Dems Talk Housing Struggles In Communities Of Color
This weekend, at presidential candidate events and forums throughout central Iowa, economic injustice against communities of color was a reoccurring theme — including discussion of homeownership disparities between black and brown families and their white neighbors....
Housing Advocates Frustrated With Cancelled Forum
Housing advocates’ push to bring attention to affordability struggles fell short of the Iowa spotlight as the top five polling candidates caused the cancellation of a scheduled affordable housing debate this Friday. Top-tier candidates Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren,...
Affordable Housing: A Workshop For Municipal Leadership
Affordable housing advocates are making a case for municipal support to generally receptive local officials as a projected workforce housing crisis approaches Polk County. A newly released workforce housing study found Polk County will need to add 57,170 new housing...
How Affordable Housing Plans Shape DSM Mayoral Race
Several mayoral candidates with extensive, but different backgrounds dealing with Des Moines’ rising shortage of affordable housing have proposed varied approaches to solve the issue ahead of Nov. 5 elections. Incumbent Mayor Frank Cownie, who has led the city through...
DSM City Council Looks To Tackle Next Big Housing Issue
The third and final reading of the new, controversial Des Moines zoning code was approved Wednesday by the Des Moines City Council while a few focus surrounding a potential housing project surfaced Monday at a Council meeting. The code, which sparked debate over...
Booker’s Affordable Housing Plan Stems From Personal Experience
Affordable housing lies in the underpinnings of Cory Booker’s presidential run. The 2020 candidate’s campaign said the issue is integral to his purpose as a public servant. A housing rights attorney before running for public office, the New Jersey senator’s stump...
Michael Bennet’s Housing Plan Focuses On Home Ownership
Presidential candidate Michael Bennet today joined the slate of 2020 democratic hopefuls with detailed housing plans. The Colorado Senator’s plan looks to build more affordable housing near good jobs, help middle-class families rent or purchase a home and reform...
Report: Higher Wages Needed To Afford Housing In Iowa
Nearly a fifth of Iowan households do not make enough to live without public assistance, a new Iowa Policy Project report has found, due to factors like rising housing costs. According to the Cost of Living in Iowa report, released last Tuesday, family budget costs...
The 2020 Leader On America’s Underappreciated Crisis
Affordable housing has an unofficial figurehead as the national crisis makes its debut as a major issue on the presidential campaign trail this cycle. Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, served as the Housing and Urban Development Secretary for the...