Ten cities are banding together in a new effort to create a place for city leaders to find solutions for improving affordability and reducing evictions. The effort, launched in late March, is called the
PolicyLink All-in Cities Anti-Displacement Policy Network. Mayors, city council members, and senior city staff members from 10 U.S. cities are meeting next week to draft policy ideas and solutions.
The cities hope that by teaming up they’ll be able to accelerate efforts to end displacements as well as create new policies around renter protections, community land trusts, commercial neighborhood stabilization, inclusionary zoning, and other development strategies, Curbed.com reports.
Reducing rent burdens for low-income Americans could place $124 billion back into budgets of local residents to spend in their communities, according to research by PolicyLink. High rents are one of the main causes for displacement, they note.
The group also says that a significant number of renters are at growing risk of displacement or eviction. They put the percentage at 51 percent of U.S. renters who are rent-burdened.
“I was surprised at how strong a response we received from all across the country,” says Chris Schildt, PolicyLink senior associate. “There is such a strong narrative going around that this is just a problem for the coasts and cities like New York and San Francisco. Certainly it’s a problem for these cities. But it’s also a problem for places like Minneapolis, Nashville, Denver, and Buffalo.”
The 10 cities involved in the coalition are: Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Denver; Nashville; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; San Jose, Calif.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Minneapolis; and St. Paul, Minn.
Source: “New Anti-Displacement Network to Help Cities Experiment with Anti-Eviction Policy,” Curbed.com (April 3, 2018)
