Material Listing

The 2008 report includes a four-page executive summary and then more extensive chapters on Housing Markets, Demographic Trends, Homeownership, Rental Housing, and Housing Challenges. A number of appendix tables are included with multi year and age/race/ethnicity data breakdowns. Advocates may find the Housing Challenges section particularly helpful for its finding that there is a growing lack of affordability despite the fact that rents have fallen in many markets and many homeowners have lowered their housing costs by refinancing.

This booklet offers information on strategies to increase utilization of Housing Choice Vouchers, responsibilities under fair housing laws, relevant information on the Medicaid program, and implications of the US Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C.

This guidebook is intended for people with disabilities, their families, and service providers seeking comprehensive information on the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. It provides information on how to engage public housing agency staff to help people with disabilities participate in the Section 8 program.

The piece covers non-physical modifications such as reinstatement on waiting lists, assistance in finding an accessible unit, referral services, voucher terms, exception payment standards, higher utility allowances, live-in aides, and renting from a blood relative. Basic strategies for requesting reasonable accommodations are also provided. Advocates may find this article helpful for working with PHA's and with survivors and their family members with disabilities.

Available from: Contact the NRCDV at 1-800-537-2238 and 1-800-553-2508 (TTY)

The paper includes a short research review outlining studies showing that vouchers are a highly effective form of assistance.

This publication provides information about the housing challenges facing rural America, including barriers to affordable housing in rural areas, expanding housing opportunities, and available resources for homeless people in rural areas.

Research focusing on violence against women in public housing is discussed, noting that research on this topic is limited. The history of the One Strike policy is given, the interpretation and enforcement of the One Strike policy by Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) is outlined and examples of the impact of the One Strike policy on battered women are provided. Possible amendments to the One Strike policy are discussed along with future research recommendations.

Available from: Contact the NRCDV at 800-537-2238.

Advocates will find this report helpful for its succinct and well-cited chapters on the right to adequate housing, "One Strike" federal policy development, local housing exclusions, and screening procedures. The report also covers the many difficulties people face in legal challenges to their exclusion from public housing. Human Rights Watch offers recommendations to Congress, HUD, PHAs, publicly funded legal services organizations and the United Nations.

The brief gives examples of battered women faced with eviction due to their batterers' violent actions and discusses why this phenomenon is unsurprisingly under-reported. The brief also explains and debunks some common beliefs that people may have due to a misunderstanding of domestic violence such as that leaving a violent relationship is easy or that a survivor has the power to stop the perpetrator's violent behavior. Advocates may find this document helpful to explain how one-strike policies negatively affect survivors of domestic violence and how such acts discriminate against women.

The research findings, based upon three focus groups of female residents from the various housing types, describe women's housing needs specifically and broadly from location to the effect of utility costs with less modern housing.

This resources addresses: homeownership and access to capital, battered women, housing discrimination, minority women, housing and community design, displaced homemakers, rural women, homeless women, older women, welfare reform, public housing, housing for women with disabilities and service enriched housing.

The hearings involved more than 125 people, with 40% of these identifying as survivors of domestic violence. Advocates will find this report of use for its description of the process followed in terms of the hearings, as well as for the findings and recommendations across economic-related topics such as employment and workplace, emergency cash, finances and credit, child care, education and training and welfare. A specific chapter addresses the housing needs of survivors and offers recommended actions for housing providers, public housing authorities and public and private funders.

he initial section of the article provides a useful review of previous research on the topic as well as the need to broaden research in this area to address housing-related problems such as paying bills and late rent, selling belongings or eating less to pay rent, being turned away from renting, or threats of eviction. This study may be helpful to advocates looking for research that studies the importance of system-level and contextual responses for battered women.

This chapter provides information on how legislation, guidelines and grant programs protect battered immigrant women's right to access shelter services, exempt shelters and other domestic violence service providers from INS verification and reporting guidelines, prevent discrimination against immigrants and allow federal funds to be allocated to shelters that serve battered immigrants.

Basic eligibility is described, including reporting aspects, in this excerpt from the Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs. Advocates may find this piece helpful for obtaining a basic understanding of immigrant eligibility for federal housing programs and for discussions with lawyers, public housing authority personnel and others regarding making these programs safe, accessible, and relevant for survivors and their families.

This letter informs HUD grant recipients operating emergency shelters and transitional housing programs that all immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are eligible for such services. The letter references relevant laws and regulations.

The workbook focuses primarily on the development aspects and campaign issues, but also includes a first chapter on assessing need and readiness. While the issues in the workgroup are directed at housing trust funds, the community organizing principles are applicable to other causes. The workbook is also a good source of information on the different local trust funds already established.

Examples show what housing trust funds have accomplished and why they are so successful.

Short chapters, with citations to resources, cover the crisis in housing, protecting children, lessons learned from state and local trust funds and economic benefits of a national housing trust fund. Twenty state profiles also provide housing affordability-related statistics and the impact the national trust fund would have on jobs and wages.

This resource page provides basic information on the breadth and success of local and state-based housing trust funds.

Material is broken down by: general housing information, housing policies, housing demographics, fair housing and housing mobility and advocacy organizations working on housing issues.

National and PA stats are listed for the housing market, homelessness, emergency shelter, transitional housing, public housing and housing choice vouchers and homeownership. Pennsylvania resources are broken out by county for transitional housing programs, Pennsylvania housing/redevelopment authorities and Pennsylvania community housing and development organizations. State and national organizations are listed with contact information.

It is an excellent research tool for identifying relevant articles to assist with policy analysis and legal advocacy.

The fact sheet emphasizes the interdependence and indivisibility of civil and political rights and the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, including housing. The sheet covers the basic principle of housing as a human right, the entitlements of housing rights, obligations of the international community, clarifications of governmental obligations, and monitoring the right to adequate housing. Annexes to the fact sheet include a list of the legal sources of the right to adequate housing under internal human rights law.

The report operates as a "fact book" and is a wealth of statistics organized around debunking three housing myths: (1) that subsidized housing is unnecessary because left on its own, the market will provide safe, decent and affordable housing for everyone; (2) that today federal government housing subsidies go disproportionately and "unwisely" to "undeserving" low-income renters in urban areas; and (3) that homeownership is the best housing option for everyone, all the time, everywhere.