Publications

This suite of educational materials reviews the benefits of “shared equity” – a unique approach to affordable homeownership. Under this approach, a state or local government provides funding to help a family purchase a home. In return for this investment, the government entity shares in the benefits of any home price appreciation that may occur. Homebuyers benefit from a substantially lower home price and the opportunity for significant home equity gains. Local communities benefit by retaining vital workers who otherwise couldn’t afford to live in the communities they serve. And, by ensuring that the public’s investment keeps pace with the housing market, shared equity strategies allow governments to help generations of families achieve homeownership with a single initial investment.

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The Center for Housing Policy, with support from WeatherPredict Consulting, developed an online toolkit to emphasize the need for greater attention to improving the disaster resistance of housing in areas vulnerable to natural disasters. The toolkit explores ways to help lower income families pay for upgrades and retrofits that can improve the disaster resistance of homes.

This report finds that the average working household in the Boston region spends over $34,000 a year -- or 54 percent of their income -- on the combined costs of housing and transportation.

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This online, interactive database is regularly updated and presents wage information for more than 60 occupations, as well as home prices and rents for nearly 200 metropolitan areas, allowing workers to see how their wages stack up against housing costs in their area.

This issue brief describes federal and state programs and resources available for making homes more resistant to natural disasters. There is a particular focus on new programs geared toward financing disaster resistance for multifamily properties and the homes of lower income families.