A package of New York City bills can help preserve affordable housing.

The Community Land Act creates more pathways for communities to purchase and control land. Two of the bills would allow nonprofits and community land trusts to make a first offer on any multifamily property or public land up for sale.

Will Spisak, senior program associate for the nonprofit New Economy Project, said the bills help build community wealth and let people have control over their neighborhood's future.

"Renters are no longer kind of at the mercy of these slumlords that often neglect the building, extract wealth from the community, and don't reinvest in the living conditions of those properties," Spisak explained. "It creates a way for people to be directly involved in controlling their housing situation."

He added it also creates opportunities to develop permanent affordable housing. Some real estate developers and investors are opposed to the bills, primarily about the transparency measures of the legislation. Spisak countered tenants are tired of not being in control of their housing and feedback for the bills has been overwhelmingly positive. The goal is to have the New York City Council pass the bills in 2025.

Although opposition from the real estate industry has thrown up some barriers, other challenges loom ahead. Spisak noted aside from public education to ensure people know about the measures, there is also the challenge of providing resources to groups looking to take advantage of the bills.

"We need them to be really efficient with how they get the money out to groups," Spisak pointed out. "As well as making sure community groups have access to other resources such as technical assistance professionals who can assist with doing appraisals, doing inspections, and things like that as well as financial resources."

Another element of the Community Land Act is a resolution saying the city supports the state's Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which could give tenants the first right to collectively buy their building if and when the landlord sells it. Although housing advocates support it, the bill failed in committee during the previous legislative session.

Construction will begin early next year on new affordable housing dedicated to low-income Oregon farmworkers. This project is the latest by the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, a nonprofit that is partnering with Energy Trust of Oregon to make their housing more energy efficient. This year, the FHDC hosted workshops teaching more than 200 families how to save energy at home.

Ramon Martinez, communications and advocacy coordinator with the FHDC, said the payoffs are significant. Along with receiving more than $20,000 in incentives to help reduce energy use across their properties, residents' bills are down.

"During the cold months, some people are afraid to turn on the heater, right? But its been great because I've heard successful stories about residents seeing $200, $300 bills, lowering it down to the $100 range," he explained.

Research shows that most farmworkers in Oregon do not have access to affordable housing and often live in over-crowded conditions.

In Oregon and Washington, 32% of farmworker households live in poverty, which is more than twice as much as the general U.S. population. The Farmworker Housing Development Corporation manages 460 units across the central Willamette Valley, providing affordable housing to more than 2,000 people. Along with rental housing, it also helps farmworkers who are interested in becoming homeowners.

Christian Meneses-Zurita, senior asset manager with the FHDC, said it has hosted homebuyer resource fairs and recently started a fund to help farmworkers find housing and pay for education.

"Our affordable housing options can be a stepping stone," Meneses-Zurita said.

More information about the Ramon Ramirez Fund is at www.FHDC.org.

In early 2025, construction will begin on new affordable housing dedicated to low-income Oregon farmworkers.


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One life-altering situation turned a North Carolina woman's stability into homelessness and now, she is sharing her journey to humanize homelessness and advocate for solutions to affordable housing.

Tonya Adams-Ruffin, 54, never imagined she would end up on the streets. A combination of domestic violence and a work accident left her without a home, a situation from which she is still recovering as she transitions into new housing.

"That was one of the hardest things that I had to do," Adams-Ruffin explained. "Not knowing if someone is going to try and hurt you, not feeling safe."

With support from the Interfaith Council for Social Services, Adams-Ruffin is using her experience to lead and advocate for change. After receiving leadership training from the council, she has taken on roles such as working the polls in her community and raising awareness about the realities of being unhoused.

Another way Adams-Ruffin is raising her voice to dispel myths about homelessness involves creating signs to raise awareness, with messages like "We may be homeless, but we're not helpless." The signs are part of her larger effort to spotlight the struggles faced by homeless individuals, challenges extending beyond appearances to include barriers in accessing essential resources such as safety, food and shelter, even from organizations designed to provide them.

"Just because you're homeless, you don't want to have to be in a situation where you can't bathe, eat, lie down when you need to and feel safe," Adams-Ruffin pointed out. "What I would do is say, 'Look, we need to do more with affordable housing.'"

Adams-Ruffin stressed her advocacy thrives through partnership with the council, which helps her amplify her vision for community impact. She is also raising awareness about a national grant to support those facing homelessness.

Alyssa Hinton, voter engagement project lead for the council, said the organization is providing the resources and support Adams-Ruffin needs to make a difference.

"There is a national grant that is up for $25,000 for anyone who has faced or is facing homelessness right now," Hinton noted. "We are priming and prepping our members to be able to apply for that grant. We have ideas. We can get this money. We have a place to do this. Let's do it together."

In 2023, nearly 10,000 people in North Carolina were homeless on any given night.


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Low-income Montana residents are getting help accessing legal aid online.

In some cases, updates to automated legal forms could help residents facing eviction stay in their homes, and also assist people who need help with family law issues.

Montana Legal Services Association will use the $275,000 technology assistance grant to overhaul and redesign its most-used automated, online legal forms.

MLSA's Community Legal Education Coordinator Linden Howard-Murphy said the information from those forms will be integrated into the state's court systems.

"We know that not everyone can afford a lawyer, and we also know that navigating the court system on your own can be extremely overwhelming," said Howard-Murphy. "One of the cornerstones of our work here at MLSA is empowering Montanans with the tools they need to handle their civil legal problems pro se. Pro se means without a lawyer."

MLSA data show there is only one legal aid attorney for every 8,900 Montanans who need civil legal help. Howard-Murphy said upgrading the online forms will help improve those numbers.

Ron Flagg - president of the Washington, D.C.-based Legal Services Corporation, which awarded the grant - said streamlining the online help low-income Montanans can access could be the difference between staying in their home and being evicted.

"And if you're living on the edge, that means you're one medical expense, one fender-bender from not being able to pay your rent," said Flagg. "And having legal assistance available in those cases is a game changer."

The Legal Services Corporation funds 130 nonprofit legal aid programs nationwide.