LFAA Resources

LFAA Homelessness Working Group Presents Zoning Issues and Affordable Housing

The affordability and availability of housing has become a critical issue in the United States. Home prices are drastically outpacing incomes nationwide, and homelessness was at a record high in 2024. These burdens disproportionately affect Black, Hispanic, and multiracial households, with homeownership rates among these groups significantly lower than those of White households. As the United States housing crisis continues, cities are continually coming up with new ways to address the issue. This memorandum provides a brief history of zoning, explores how zoning regulations have contributed to the current housing crisis, and examines innovative solutions that cities across the country are using to address restrictive zoning laws....Read more

Rent Control and Inequality - An Overview of Policies in Action and Potential Alternatives

Homelessness disproportionately impacts people of color, with a rate of homelessness for Black Americans and Native Americans more than four times and two times as high as the prevalence rate for white Americans, respectively. While historical and systemic reasons behind this trend exist, studies show one of the main factors contributing to the rate of homelessness in an area is the condition of the area’s housing market. Many findings indicate that homelessness is due, in part, to a market failure – short supply of housing, affordable or not, to meet demand. Federal and local governments in the US have attempted to address the shortfall in availability of affordable housing in various ways throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, often enacting legislation that places regulations on the rental rate landlords can charge. In this memorandum, we discuss the history of rent control in the US, present the current landscape of rent control laws by state, assess whether rent control laws achieve their stated policy goals through an examination of case studies spanning geographic locations and through points in time, and discuss potential alternatives and improvements to rent control.   ...Read more

Mental Health Courts: Essential Elements, Challenges, and the Intersection with Race and Homelessness

Mental Health Courts are an alternative tool used in the criminal justice systems to help those with mental illnesses.  This presentation will provide an overview of their structure and consider how these courts relate to racial equity and homelessness.  It also addresses common criticisms of mental health courts and how they might be improved....Read more