Housing Solutions Lab
Helping cities plan, launch, and evaluate equitable housing policies
On this page
Our Work
In addition to policy guidance and resources available on Local Housing Solutions, the Lab is engaged in several ongoing projects to provide analysis, tools, and peer learning and training opportunities to cities.
Lab launch event
Peer learning and training
Peer Networks
Large city network
Launched in the spring of 2020 with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies and in partnership with Abt Associates, a network of 10 cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis, Newark, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Antonio, that has been meeting monthly and in dedicated working groups on eviction and foreclosure prevention, housing production and preservation, and homeless assistance.
Small and midsize city network
Launched in the fall of 2020, the inaugural Housing Solutions Peer Network includes officials from Arlington, TX; Boulder, CO; Cleveland, OH; Jackson, MI; Oakland, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Syracuse, NY. City officials convene monthly to discuss common housing challenges and share best practices, and are connected with resources through Lab staff.
In fall 2021 the Lab will host additional opportunities for cities across the country, including the second Housing Solutions Peer Network cohort and Local Housing Solutions Virtual Institute (see below). To be notified when these additional peer learning opportunities arise, please sign up for our mailing list.
Housing Solutions Workshop
In partnership with Abt Associates and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Housing Solutions Lab is hosting the Housing Solutions Workshop – a 4-week long education program to help local policymakers from small and midsize cities develop local housing strategies and build capacity for better decision making. To be notified when applications open for the LHS Institute, please sign up for our mailing list.
Research and tools in progress
Emergency rental assistance during COVID-19
The Lab team is working with several Peer Network cities to understand the use of emergency rental assistance, including take-up and the characteristics of tenant and landlord applicants.
Racial equity toolkit
The Housing Solutions Lab will develop an online housing equity tool assessment to help cities with identifying key housing indicators related to advancing racial equity and measures that cities can track over time with readily accessible data.
Homelessness predictive tool
The Lab is collaborating with Columbia University to develop a public-facing, interactive map and database that will assess a county’s risk of homelessness based on key economic indicators in order to allow for more targeted resource allocation at the community level.
What are we learning about small and midsize cities?
Learn about why we work with small and midsize cities in our framing paper: The Promise and Possibilities of Working with Small and Midsize Cities.
Blog posts
The Housing Solutions Lab is developing a series of analyses focused on housing challenges and opportunities in small and mid-sized cities across the country.
In this inaugural post, we examine the population and housing characteristics in small and mid-sized cities in order to better understand their potentially unique needs and solutions. Read the analysis now.
Case studies and housing strategy profiles
- Case Study: Boulder County’s Regional Housing Partnership
- Case Study: North Texas’s Regional Assessment of Fair Housing
- Case Study: Oakland’s Community Cabins (forthcoming)
- Case Study: Minneapolis 2040 Plan
- Case Study: ADUs in Portland, OR
- Housing Strategy Profile: Oakland’s Housing Strategy (forthcoming)
- Housing Strategy Profile: Boulder’s Middle Income Housing Strategy (forthcoming)
- Housing Strategy Profile: Atlanta, GA
- Housing Strategy Profile: San Antonio, TX
- Housing Strategy Profile: Denver, CO
- Housing Strategy Profile: Philadelphia, PA
