News Roundup

  • Mapping Internet Connection Costs across the US
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    Where a person lives can affect their access to internet, according to a new report from BroadbandNow. The report shows that households in states with lower income levels tend to have limited access to low-cost broadband plans than those in higher-earning places. “Broadband pricing is so regionally and even locally fragmented that you might have a very large incumbent provider offer a plan to a million people at, say, three different price points across the country,” says Tyler Cooper, who authored the report.

  • How Algorithm-Based Tenant Screenings Can Enable Housing Discrimination
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    A class action lawsuit currently alleges that SafeRent, a company that created a tenant-screening algorithm, discriminated against Black and Latinx renters, violating the Fair Housing Act. The US Department of Justice filed a brief to warn against these practices. “Housing providers and tenant screening companies that use algorithms and data to screen tenants are not absolved from liability when their practices disproportionately deny people of color access to fair housing opportunities,” said Kristen Clarke, the Department of Justice civil rights division leader.

  • New Program Pays Off Debt for Black Homebuyers
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    For many Americans, debt can prevent a prospective homeowner from getting a mortgage; this problem is particularly acute for Black homebuyers. “Debt-to-income ratio is one of the key reasons Black households are denied [mortgages],” said Jung Hyun Choi, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. In the Seattle area, Habitat for Humanity is launching a new program that aims to address this barrier by paying off up to $50,000 in debt for qualifying homebuyers who plan to buy a Habitat home.

  • Rental Applications Fees Add Costs to an Already Expensive Process
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    For many prospective renters, application fees are the first barrier to finding affordable housing as they navigate an increasingly tight market. Each application fee can cost anywhere from $35 to $85, with renters applying to several before landing on a place that fits their needs. Many states have introduced measures such as one-time tenant screening reports that can be used multiple times, reducing fees, or eliminating fees all together.