Through organizations like Chicago TREND and with the help of new and federally regulated fintech platforms, community members and people of color who were excluded from ownership now have an opportunity not only to own a piece of a shopping mall or other commercial space, but also to see a return on their investment.

Reporting for this story was made possible with funding from the Mastercard Impact Fund in partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

In Oakland, a nonprofit is giving entrepreneurs of color the chance to use vacant storefronts to try out their own businesses. The first step? Convert building ground floor into a public park.

Reporting for this story was made possible with funding from the Mastercard Impact Fund in partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

Today we talk about a solution to the lack of housing access that is within reach for many local Public Housing Authorities.

Housing vouchers are a federally-funded payment system. They’re used by low-income people to rent a home — any home. Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. While the Fair Housing Act of 1968 offered legal protections against discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and disability, there is nothing in it that says you can’t discriminate against someone based on how the source of their income.

Whether it’s medical care, addiction treatment, counseling — or whatever the issue might be that individual case-work would reveal — many people experiencing homelessness need more than stable housing. But there’s evidence that without first offering someone a stable home, all those other issues can’t be properly addressed. That is a concept called “Housing First.”

An East Boston tenant had been fighting her eviction for eight years when the city established a new neighborhood trust and bought her building — plus, 35 others.

Today we’re learning about a solution in Lexington, Kentucky, where a non-profit called CivicLex is changing things up. We’re speaking with the founder of CivicLex about how they’re getting folks informed and involved in local decisions big and small.

The first Black-owned bank to open in the last 20 years is in Columbus, Ohio.

In this episode of Next City, Lucas Grindley explores the history of LGBTQ neighborhoods, or "Gayborhoods," and how they've been affected by skyrocketing housing prices. Developers are trying to spark the birth of a new queer neighborhood in Cleveland. But can a massive real estate development even succeed as LGBTQ-focused? This ambitious 300,000-square-foot complex called Studio West 117 will include sports, dining, entertainment and housing alongside identity-affirming businesses and social services.