income

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Contradicting NIMBY Concerns – Building Subsidized Low-Income Housing Actually Lifts Property Values In A Neighborhood

Building multiple publicly subsidized low-income housing developments in a neighborhood doesn’t lower the value of other homes in the area – and in fact can even increase their worth, according to a new peer-reviewed study I co-authored. For the study, we looked at 508 developments financed through the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and built in the Chicago area from 1997 to 2016. We then examined their influence on more than 600,000 nearby residential sales, using data from local property assessments and tax records. We chose Chicago because of its size, well-established neighborhoods, substantial amount of subsidized housing developments, well-documented racial and ethnic segregation, pockets of persistent and concentrated poverty and excellent data coverage. While some r...

Boosting Renewable Energy Use Can Reduce Harm To Low-Income People If Done Thoughtfully – And Can Happen Quickly

10Aug

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

ENVIRONMENT

Boosting Renewable Energy Use Can Reduce Harm To Low-Income People If Done Thoughtfully – And Can Happen Quickly

With many nations making efforts to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, SciLine interviewed Erin Baker, a professor of industrial engineering and operations at UMass Amherst. Baker discussed the technological, political and regulatory efforts needed for this transition, as well as ways that our fossil fuel-dependent system disproportionately harms poor communities and communities of color. The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, which have been edited for brevity and clarity. How is our country doing at making the transition to renewable energy? Erin Baker: There has been amazing technological change over the past 15 years. Offshore wind costs 50% less than it did six years ago. Solar has had a sixfold decrease in ...

This Federal Program Could Help Low-Income Women Pay Their Bills This Summer, As Energy Costs Soar

4Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS

This Federal Program Could Help Low-Income Women Pay Their Bills This Summer, As Energy Costs Soar

President Joe Biden announced new guidelines Wednesday for distributing an influx of funding for one of the oldest federal energy assistance programs in the country. The program, known as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program, or LIHEAP, is a lifeline for families — many led by women — struggling to pay their utility bills. Originally created to help low-income households pay their heating bills, the program has been increasingly used for cooling assistance. As climate change has led to more frequent heat waves and hotter summer months, this funding has become more crucial to pay for rising energy costs. The new guidelines rolled out in an executive order — among several climate-related orders announced this week — expand on the shifting needs of the cooling side of the program, ...

The Fed Doesn’t Have The Right Tools To Fix Huge Racial Income And Wealth Gaps

15Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

POLITICS

The Fed Doesn’t Have The Right Tools To Fix Huge Racial Income And Wealth Gaps

BUSINESS Paul Wachtel, New York University Central bankers and economists from around the world are convening remotely for the annual Jackson Hole symposium on Aug. 27, 2021, to discuss the future of monetary policy. For the second year in a row, the annual conference will be virtual and the theme – Macroeconomic Policy in an Uneven Economy – seems appropriate given that the road out of the pandemic recession has been bumpy, with Black Americans lagging behind. Indeed, how central banks should address racial inequities in the distribution of wealth and income is a likely topic for discussion at the virtual retreat and could get a mention in Fed chair Jerome Powell’s highly anticipated speech. A ‘critical role to play’? It certainly is an issue that needs attention. Despite the vast cha...

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

Universal Basic Income And MLK

I find it fascinating (in a social experiment sort of way) the fanatical, er, passionate reactions I received from my FB "friends" when I posted President-elect Joe Biden's "politricks" about the stimulus checks. I deliberately posted the comment on January 15th (MLK's Birthday). Why? MLK was a fierce advocate for Universal Basic Income (UBI) during his lifetime. In other words, we should be getting at least 2K per month during the pandemic instead of a proposed 2K for a single year. Intriguingly, other OECD countries are giving their citizens as high as 7K per month in UBI. As of December, Australian citizens have gotten 24K since their pandemic in accumulated UBI. If you think in cents, you get cents! If you think in dollars, you get dollars! Let us not settle for the one-cent wine, fi...

With The Right Kind Of Help Low-Income Families Can Also Benefit From Cheaper Solar Power

4Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS

With The Right Kind Of Help Low-Income Families Can Also Benefit From Cheaper Solar Power

Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other “soft” costs. Solar power is becoming more common for households at all income levels. These homes in Richmond, California, went solar with the help of GRID Alternatives. GRID Alternatives, CC BY-ND Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to solar power. But households with incomes below the median for their areas remain less likely to go solar. These low- and moderate-income households face several roadblocks to solar adoption, including cash constraints, low rates of home ownership and language barriers. Our team o...

Should architecturally significant low-income housing be preserved?

8Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Should architecturally significant low-income housing be preserved?

This past January, in Buffalo, New York, the second phase of demolition for a low-income housing complex called Shoreline Apartments commenced. A 1974 photograph of Buffalo’s Shoreline Apartments. George Burns/National Arcvhives at College Park The property owner had long wanted to replace the crumbling buildings. Residents also sought a safer and more welcoming living space that better blended in with the rest of the neighborhood. It sounds like a win-win for all parties. But Shoreline, designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph, had been considered an exemplar of modern architecture in the Western New York area. For this reason, local preservationists wanted to landmark the complex – and save it from the wrecking ball. As historic preservation scholars, we were drawn to this controvers...

Fast food is comforting, but in low-income areas it crowds out fresher options

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

VIDEO REELS

Fast food is comforting, but in low-income areas it crowds out fresher options

Many Americans take comfort in the routine of jumping into the car and grabbing a burger. They choose restaurants with familiar faces behind the counter. They even yearn for a favorite “greasy spoon” diner while having to cook for themselves at home during COVID-19. People feel emotionally attached to food and the routines associated with it. These rituals provide a sense of comfort and belonging – even if the meal is from a fast-food restaurant and they stood in line for it. I study food security in California’s Central Valley, which is, ironically, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. Food security means maintaining reliable, consistent access to food. It requires time and resources that are often scarce in food-insecure households. Many people in the food-rich ...

Low-income Americans have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. They may also get left behind in the recovery.

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Low-income Americans have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. They may also get left behind in the recovery.

Income inequality has increased dramatically in the United States over recent decades, surpassing its previous peak in the 1920s. In 2016, the average income among the bottom 24.9 million households was US$21,000. Meanwhile, the top 1%, or 1.2 million households, earned an average household income of $1.8 million. These disparities have spurred social movements and become a central issue for some candidates in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. However, much of the attention has focused on inequality across the entire U.S. population, regardless of where individuals live. Our research and other studies show that levels of income inequality within counties and cities vary considerably across the country. Challenges in rural areas Our work focuses specifically on differences in inc...

Coronavirus lockdowns are pushing mass transit systems to the brink – and low-income riders will pay the price

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, VIDEO REELS

Coronavirus lockdowns are pushing mass transit systems to the brink – and low-income riders will pay the price

Low-income Americans have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. They may also get left behind in the recovery. CC BY-ND Steep declines in ridership during the crisis have pushed public transit systems across the U.S. into deep financial distress. Though Congress included allocations for transit in the CARES Act, cities said it won’t be nearly enough. Even major systems in large metro areas like New York City and Washington, D.C., have serious concerns about long-term survival without more sustained support. Failure of transit systems would be a disaster for the large proportion of low income households that depend on buses and trains to get to work and elsewhere – not only in urban areas, but in rural ones too. I’m currently in the middle of a two-year study of transport inequalit...