July 15, 2022

In June, the percentage of canceled US home sale deals spiked, in large part because rising mortgage rates have made homes more expensive. According to Redfin, this marks the largest share of home-sales cancelations since April 2020, when lockdowns caused mass disruptions in the housing market.

In North Dakota, Native American and LGBTQ communities experience disproportionately high rates of homelessness, because of landlord discrimination. In a 2021 report, the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights said landlords refuse rental assistance vouchers, creating housing challenges. “There have been deliberate efforts over the last 10–20 years to teach landlords to legally discriminate or exclude undesirable tenants,” says Cheryl Kary, executive director of the Sacred Pipe Resource Center.

Climate-conscious Colorado residents are increasingly ditching gas and using solar and electricity to power their homes instead. This exodus leaves utility companies and some researchers worried it could result in higher prices for remaining customers. When customers leave the natural gas system, the utility company still spends the same amount on costs, and the remaining and shrinking customer base pays. “This does not mean that electrification is a bad idea,” says Catherine Hausman, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, “It means we need to be careful with how we transition to that goal.”

The opening of the Sixth Avenue Flats in Des Moines, Iowa, means young people experiencing homelessness who have aged out of the foster care system will now have an affordable home. In addition to rental assistance, residents will have a case manager from the nonprofit Youth & Shelter Services to help with job searching, among other supports. “This is what the future of affordable housing looks like, and we are happy that it begins right here in Des Moines, Iowa,” said former state senator and Hatch Development owner Jack Hatch.