Congress recently passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which has tremendous promise for improving roads and bridges ($110 billion allocation) and reconnecting communities divided by transportation infrastructure ($1 billion). Although... Read more
There are not very many issues more pressing in our region than housing and homelessness.
In a recent Crosscut/Elway poll, 79% of respondents said homelessness was one of the issues most important to them, with 54% saying that the... Read more
In his 10 years living in a tent along the L Street NE underpass in NoMa, Mike has been forced to move his stuff plenty of times, usually when D.C. crews would come through to clean up the sidewalks.
But the 51-year-old is far less... Read more
Refugee aid groups are scrambling to find permanent homes for the thousands of Afghan evacuees expected to settle in the Washington region in the coming months, a steep challenge in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
One handbag at a time
A small bags and accessories shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is trying to be everything the modern textile industry is not. In place of endless waste, they repurpose recycled materials. They eschew overseas factories... Read more
CDFI executes plan to help mitigate interruptions from light rail expansion
By Frances A. McMorris
Whether customers were coming in for the pollo peño or the chino fries that boast a seaweed topping, new light rail construction was... Read more
People of color make up an estimated less than 5% of housing developers in the U.S.
At close to $175 billion, the U.S. housing development market is huge and expanding annually at a nifty 6% clip. But Black Americans and other people of... Read more
Steve Saltzman on why CDFIs should keep a focus on food systems
By Kate Stringer
When funders invest in locally-sourced food, they’re also investing in public health, the environment and economically disadvantaged communities. That’... Read more
There are great inequities in entrepreneurship — as with so many other aspects of life in the United States. One of the most obvious examples of this is that business owners of color — as well as women business owners and other overlooked... Read more