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D.C. aims to make housing down payments more affordable for lower-income families

Aug 24, 2022
The city is doubling the amount of low-interest loans that first-time homeowners can qualify for in its Home Purchase Assistance Program, but analysts say that only addresses part of the problem.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this week that first-time homebuyers could qualify for as much as $202,000 in assistance in the form of low-interest loans.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

What happens when a family finally gets off the housing voucher waiting list

Mar 23, 2022
Housing vouchers can change recipients' lives but often come after years of waiting.
Kiarra Boulware with her young daughter, Brooklynn, at their apartment complex in Odenton, Maryland. A housing support program enabled them to move to a neighborhood with better conditions, including an improved educational environment for Brooklynn.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

For Americans who rely on public housing, HUD proposals strike fear

Aug 10, 2018
In Erie, Pennsylvania, where more than a quarter of residents live in poverty, many are in "chronic crisis mode," one social worker says.
The Poor People’s Campaign March makes its way through downtown Erie. Marchers advocated for increased affordable housing in Erie, better-paying jobs and more accountability from elected officials.
Erika Beras/Marketplace

New York's public housing faces a big maintenance and repair bill

Jul 27, 2018
For tenants, the problems include mold, lead paint and broken boilers that force residents to use their ovens to keep warm during the winter.
Angel King and Calvin Drumgo, third vice president and president of the Tenants' Association at the Breukelen Houses public housing complex in Canarsie, Brooklyn..
Ashley Milne-Tyte/Marketplace