Views

Analysis and points of view on research, trends, issues, ideas and opportunities.

Investing in Housing Counselors: Safeguarding a Critical Resource for Family Housing Stability

By / / NCRC Programs, Views / 3 minutes of reading

As financial pressures mount for American families, one of their most trusted allies is quietly being pushed to the brink: housing counselors. Last year’s 43-day government shutdown, coupled with the threat of another in January, has delayed HUD’s annual Housing Counseling funding application. These delays don’t exist in a vacuum, exacerbating hardships for low- and moderate-income families already struggling to afford rent and […]

Investing in Housing Counselors: Safeguarding a Critical Resource for Family Housing Stability Read More »

After the Shutdown: What We Learned about SNAP’s Vulnerabilities

By / / Policy, Views / 5 minutes of reading

The federal government shutdown that began on October 1 created immediate uncertainty for millions of households that rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Although the shutdown has ended, the disruption revealed how fragile our nation’s food assistance infrastructure really is.  A single lapse in federal funding brought SNAP to the brink of severe

After the Shutdown: What We Learned about SNAP’s Vulnerabilities Read More »

How CASA of Oregon Is Rewriting the Rules of Affordable Housing for Farmworkers and Their Families

By / / Field Notes, Views / 3 minutes of reading

For 37 years, CASA of Oregon has been helping turn marginalized farmworker families into financially empowered landowners. Founded in 1988, CASA of Oregon began as a development consultant agency working with other nonprofits and housing authorities creating affordable housing for farmworkers and their families across Oregon. The organization now operates four interconnected programs, including affordable

How CASA of Oregon Is Rewriting the Rules of Affordable Housing for Farmworkers and Their Families Read More »

New York’s Empire Justice Center Empowers Rochester Residents to Advocate for Equitable Housing Policies

By / / Field Notes, Views / 2 minutes of reading

Founded in 1973, the Empire Justice Center (EJC) is a legal advocacy nonprofit that fights for social and economic justice for disenfranchised New Yorkers by protecting and expanding their legal rights. Using a multi-pronged approach that focuses on litigation, education and advocacy efforts, EJC has provided services to more than 12 million people across a

New York’s Empire Justice Center Empowers Rochester Residents to Advocate for Equitable Housing Policies Read More »

Bank Branch Closures Slow, But Shifting Demographics Cloud the Picture

By / / Research, Views / 5 minutes of reading

After years of accelerating bank branch closures that doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s bank branch network appears to be approaching a new historic low despite a slowing rate of closures. The most recent data shows that 584 net branch closures occurred between 2024 and 2025. This is a dramatic slowdown from the 200 net

Bank Branch Closures Slow, But Shifting Demographics Cloud the Picture Read More »

Historic Redlining’s Effects on Home Mortgages Today

By / / Research, Views / 4 minutes of reading

The formal segregation of housing finance imposed by 20th century redlining was officially withdrawn decades ago. Yet, the lines of those old redlining maps remain etched into the landscape of many American cities. Recently, we’ve been told by skeptics, like some academics and banks, that redlining is ancient history. That the federal and banking industry

Historic Redlining’s Effects on Home Mortgages Today Read More »

Building Roots and Prosperity: African Community Housing & Development Secures Hundreds of Housing Units for Seattle’s African Community

By / / Field Notes, Views / 3 minutes of reading

In South King County, Washington, the African Community Housing & Development (ACHD) organization works to re-envision what community-driven housing development looks like for African immigrant communities. ACHD was established in 2018 from the community organizing efforts of Somali American mother and daughter Hamdi Abdulle and Bilan Aden.   In the seven years since its inception,

Building Roots and Prosperity: African Community Housing & Development Secures Hundreds of Housing Units for Seattle’s African Community Read More »

No Christmas Miracle This Year: December 2025 Race, Jobs and Economy Update

By / / Research, Views / 3 minutes of reading

The end of the longest government shutdown in American history means the resumption of the long-awaited monthly economic data releases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, the November BLS jobs report and a number of other noteworthy economic data releases have been delayed for weeks. What we know about the state of the

No Christmas Miracle This Year: December 2025 Race, Jobs and Economy Update Read More »

Arkansas Agency Empowers Low-Income Residents to Become First-Time Homebuyers

By / / Field Notes, Views / 3 minutes of reading

As homeownership in the US gets less accessible, the Mississippi County, Arkansas Economics Opportunity Commission, Inc. (MCAEOC) is empowering its rural community members to become homeowners and build economic security by way of their support services.  MCAEOC is one of 15 community action agencies in the state that were established under the 1964 Economic Opportunity

Arkansas Agency Empowers Low-Income Residents to Become First-Time Homebuyers Read More »

How misuse of the trust bank charter model will lead to more financial woes for communities

By / / Policy, Views / 9 minutes of reading

The nation’s largest crypto firms are looking to consolidate their power to the detriment of their customers and communities already lacking vital consumer protections and economic development opportunities. As more and more digital currency companies are vying for financial legitimacy by becoming a national trust bank via the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

How misuse of the trust bank charter model will lead to more financial woes for communities Read More »

“Providing support for everyday needs”: How ¡HICA! advances economic equity in Alabama

By / / Field Notes, Views / 3 minutes of reading

Immigrant households often face significant challenges in their pursuit of financial stability, from learning a new language to better their chances of finding work to navigating their new country’s court system. It was these challenges that inspired advocates in Birmingham, Alabama to create the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama (¡HICA!).  ¡HICA! was founded in

“Providing support for everyday needs”: How ¡HICA! advances economic equity in Alabama Read More »

Funding Futures: Scale Link’s New Secondary Market for CDFI Loans is Strengthening Underserved Small Businesses

By / / Views / 3 minutes of reading

Locally-owned small businesses are almost universally admired. Yet, in a banking industry where bigger is seen as better, warm words rarely translate into hard cash. Small businesses have become a viable pathway towards economic mobility for entrepreneurs and the cornerstone of community development revitalization efforts in historically underinvested communities. However, minority-owned businesses have had to

Funding Futures: Scale Link’s New Secondary Market for CDFI Loans is Strengthening Underserved Small Businesses Read More »

Data Centers Won’t Stop The Labor Market Slowdown: November 2025 Race, Jobs and Economy Update

By / / Research, Views / 4 minutes of reading

November is the second month that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has failed to produce a jobs report due to the recent government shutdown. What we do know about the economy comes from private sources, and they paint a mixed to negative picture.  Revelio Labs found that the labor market lost 9,000 jobs last month

Data Centers Won’t Stop The Labor Market Slowdown: November 2025 Race, Jobs and Economy Update Read More »

Building Stronger State SNAP E&T Networks: Lessons from NCRC’s Tennessee Convening

By / / NCRC Programs, Views / 4 minutes of reading

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits provide vital assistance to millions of people every year who struggle with food insecurity. The SNAP Employment and Training program (SNAP E&T) is the workforce development component of SNAP, which funds education, job training and wraparound services for people receiving SNAP benefits.  SNAP E&T is a complicated program, often

Building Stronger State SNAP E&T Networks: Lessons from NCRC’s Tennessee Convening Read More »

Scroll to Top

Start typing and press enter to search