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Housing is an extra challenge for hundreds of thousands of people, who are released from prison every year in the U.S., millions more leave local jails. The barriers they face are enormous. But some communities are working to expand access and increase supply. How are they doing it?  

Interview guests: Aisha Balogun, special project associate NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab; Tom Luettke, reentry coordinator Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Lucas County, Ohio; Kari Benz, director for human services Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties, South Dakota; Trina Jackson, director of Hamilton County Office of Reentry; David Fulcher, former Cincinnati Bengals player and creator of the MANA prison ministry program. 

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Religious organizations are some of the biggest landholders in the country and communities are increasingly looking to them to help solve the housing crisis. Some efforts are already underway but churches say they need zoning help to build on their properties. Faith-based development can take many forms. Is it making a difference?

Interview guests: 

Nadia Mian, researcher Rutgers University; Pastor Monique French, Washington Heights United Methodist Church and Community-Battle Creek, Michigan; Father Benjamin Spear-Hardy II, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church-Trotwood; Wes Young, St. Mary’s Development Corporation 

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It’s getting increasingly harder to find an affordable place to live. Sky- high rents, fluctuating mortgage rates, expensive home prices and a shortage of housing are all contributing factors. Every year there are incentives for banks to create affordable housing. How much are they doing and is it making a difference? 

Interview guests: Damon Allen, senior vice president Federal Home Loan Bank-Cincinnati; Susan Thomas, President Fifth Third Bank Community Development Corporation and co-chair National Housing Crisis Task Force, Roddell McCullough, chief corporate responsibility officer First Financial Bank; Kenya Taylor, vice president community manager Chase Bank; Elisabeth Risch, executive director Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) 

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If the U.S. builds as many homes as it did last year, experts predict it will take an average of seven and a half years to close the housing gap. How do we speed up construction? One way might be to increase the production of 3D printed houses. This technology is starting to take off in Texas and a few other states. Could it make sense in other parts of the country? 

Interview guests: Interview guests: Sandy Curth, PhD researcher who designs and builds sustainable 3D printed structures; Dr. Ali Memari, director Pennsylvania Housing Research Center and Penn State Bernard and Henrietta Hankin Chair in Residential Building Construction; John Smoll, owner Open Vision Builders 

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Vacant land owned by the government may be able to help ease the housing gap. Most of it near urban areas and transit lines, is controlled by local governments. And with the help of the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS), communities are starting to realize they may have land to build more housing. 

Interview guest: Director of the Center for Geospatial Solutions Jeff Allenby explains how his nonprofit agency can quickly comb through reams of data to locate land for potential housing. 

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Responding to a study in 2023, Northern Kentucky is trying to increase their housing stock. Local leaders and non-profits collaborated to create a menu of options called Home for All: Northern Kentucky Housing Strategies. We look at some of the 50 solutions included and talk to stakeholders about the next steps.

Interview guests: 

Tara Johnson-Noem, Executive Director at Northern Kentucky Area Development District; Mayor Ron Washington, Covington Kentucky; Stephanie Stiene, Director of Financial Wellness and Volunteer Engagement; Judge/Executive Gary W. Moore, Boone County; Brent Cooper, President & CEO at Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Colton Simpson, Deputy Judge Executive in Grant County, KY; Seth Cutter,  Vice President of Public Affairs - CVG Airport; Sharmili Reddy, Executive Director of Planning and Development Services of Kenton County; Wonda Winkler, President & CEO at Brighton Center, Inc.; Bradie Bowen, Covington KY Resident (Former teacher and administrator for 22 years)

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More than half of Americans say they would consider living in a tiny home, defined as large as 600 square feet. As traditional homes get more expensive the interest is increasing. Also, many see tiny homes as a possible solution to homelessness. Local efforts are underway to create villages of them.

Interview guests: Alam Graham, CEO Mobile Loaves & Fishes (Community First Village) in Austin, TX; Juan (John) Perez, Co-Founder and President Vista Village in Columbus, OH; Debbie Watts Robinson, CEO Miami Valley Housing Opportunities; Earl Crossland and Larry Plum, Co-Founders Tiny Homes for Humanity in Cincinnati; Clermont County Commissioner Bonnie Batchler

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The federal government gives developers the equivalent of $10 billion a year to build low-income housing in the form of a tax credit. Without this government subsidy, known generally as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), there would be a lot fewer affordable units. There are limitations, including the funding. Is there a better way to do it?  

Interview guests: Anthony Orlando, PhD, associate professor of finance, real estate and law at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona;  Roger Valdez, director of The Center for Housing and Economics; Ryan Gleason, executive director Ohio Housing Council; Mary Burke Rivers, executive director Over-the-Rhine Community Housing; and Ben Eilerman, director of real estate Over-the-Rhine Community Housing. 

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An effort to improve one man’s suburban Dallas neighborhood is now spreading across the country, even touching South Bend, Indiana. Incremental developer Monte Anderson coined the term “gentlefication,” valuing people and buildings as he envisions what an area could look like. He’s teaching other cities how to do it.

Interview guest: South Dallas community developer, landlord, and “town maker” Monte Anderson helps others find their “farm.”

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The U.S. housing stock is old and getting older and its deterioration is causing health, safety and financial concerns. Saving it is cheaper and more sustainable than building new. But preservation is still expensive. How do we preserve housing before more low-cost rental units are lost? 

Interview guests: Executive Director Ohio Community Development Corporation (CDC) Association Torey Hollingsworth, Dayton Housing Inspection Division Manager James McDaniel, Chairperson Dayton Home Repair Network Aileen Hull, and CMHA CEO Greg Johnson

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