International Observatory on Social Housing
Examine the world of social housing from an international perspective.
Public and affordable housing in the USA is always at risk of budget cuts and over-regulation. Our cries as an industry for more funding and attention are often ignored. Below is a mixture of theoretical high level ideas and concepts to shake up the industry. I do realize these ideas might come off as flippant... Continue Reading →
I think it is extremely important to take time and recognize those who dedicate their careers to public service. The five people I am writing about today have all taken different approaches to their respective careers but have touched the agencies and people they have come into contact with in very positive and meaningful... Continue Reading →
Are there too many PHAs? I am not postulating but simply asking a question. There are around 3500 public housing authorities throughout the United States administering around 3.2 million affordable housing units mainly through public housing and housing choice voucher programs. The majority of these housing authorities are extremely small. In some states there... Continue Reading →
Dr. Carson's appointment to be the leader of HUD was universally derided by many within the public housing sector. His lack of experience in the housing sector was often cited as the reason. While Dr. Carson might not have experience in the housing arena, he has the opportunity to make a major mark on... Continue Reading →
There are so many dedicated professionals working on the homeless issue around the world that we can sometimes forget to stop and appreciate the hard work and innovation. Below are 5 interesting programs, developments or ideas that have been implemented around the world. Hyper Aggressive Housing First in Finland: Finland as a country made housing... Continue Reading →
There are often complaints that the public sector is not innovative enough or is far behind the private sector. While there is truth in that statement, there are still hundreds of housing authorities around the world trying out and experimenting with new ideas to help the citizens and residents of their communities. Here are a... Continue Reading →
I recently had a chance to meet and hear from Dr. Rudiger Ahrend the head for the Urban Programme in the OECD’s Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development. He gave a presentation at Housing Europe's yearly conference regarding the rise of large cities and the challenges that it presents for housing. Dr. Ahrend... Continue Reading →
I met Dr. John McPeake the CEO from Helm Housing Association in Northern Ireland recently and had the pleasure of hearing about how his agency is working on helping those with dementia. . Dr. McPeake let us know that in the UK the average age exceeded 40 for the first time in its history. By... Continue Reading →
The International Social Housing Festival is underway in Amsterdam and is bringing many interesting minds from academia, social housing companies and other think tanks together. Today we had the opportunity to hear from Maartin van Ham who is a professor of Urban Renewal at the University of Delft spoke about segregation and inequality. He brought... Continue Reading →
In my short career in social housing, I have noticed that many programs revolve around helping work able households improve self-sufficiency. There is a national program (FSS) just to do that in coordination with housing programs. However; housing providers often serve a large number of senior and disabled households. While there are a number of great examples... Continue Reading →
International Observatory on Social Housing 