In Nigeria, documentary films spark social change

An affordable housing development in Mount Laurel, N.J., holds promise for integration by placing the development in an upscale suburban area. Since 140 affordable units were built in 2000, there has been no effect on crime rates, property values, or taxes, in reference to nearby suburbs.

While Seattle’s City Council has taken steps to protect renters from rising costs and exploitative landlords, many tenants do not understand their rights. In order to address this disconnect, advocacy groups have organized “tenant rights boot camps” to educate renters about their rights and avenues of recourse under the law.

Several large philanthropic organizations, like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Ford Foundation, are pooling resources to address San Francisco's severe housing crisis. The funds will go to local non-profits who are buying up property to stabilize rent and to localities to establish rent-control and tenant protection policies. Known as Partnership for the Bay’s Future, the venture hopes to eventually ensure housing for 175,000 families over five years.

Building community around storytelling preserves cultural heritage. Across Lebanon, individuals and institutions like the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and the Theatre Monnot in Beirut are working to preserve oral culture as a medium for storytelling. Initiatives, including the long-running International Storytelling Festival and Beirut’s Hakaya, bring together storytellers, known as hakawati and hakawatiye.

Although Indonesia is making efforts to improve disability rights, progress is slow. In the meantime, a group called Economic Empowerment for Entrepreneurs with Disability (EEED) was formed in partnership with the British Council’s DICE (Developing Inclusive Creative Economies) program. Participants in the program learn entrepreneurial skills by creating their own social enterprise, supplemented by lessons in things like marketing and management. This helps those in Indonesia with disabilities become socioeconomically independent and able to envision a develop a meaningful vision of the future.

California coastal towns address homelessness by supporting individuals who live on their boats - and those who want to move back to land. While many counties destroy or condemn boats that have been anchored long-term, areas like Half Moon Bay and Marin county work with individuals who want to find stable housing.

In 1890, an anthropologist used an early audio recording device called a phonograph to record three spokesmen for the Passamaquoddy tribe singing songs, telling stories, and pronouncing simple words. After years of efforts to eradicate Native American culture and language, these recordings were found again and shared with modern-day members of the Passamaquoddy tribe, who now use it to transcribe, interpret, and add to their cultural knowledge. The songs and stories have already begun making their way back into tribal events.

Right to Counsel laws ensure legal representation for tenants facing eviction in Ohio and New York. Results from various cities show that free legal aid results in lower eviction rates. Eviction rates in North Carolina are on the rise and advocates say the state needs to implement Right to Counsel laws.

Old and neglected housing contributes to climate change because it runs on fossil fuels. In New York, outdated heating systems waste two-thirds of energy. The New York City Housing Authority is not only trying to create better, safer, livable affordable housing, but also cleaner and more sustainable housing. While the city is just beginning to explore how to do that, other cities, like Paris, have already begun the work of updating old buildings that are used for affordable housing and can offer a model for American cities.

The Community Receiver Program works with real estate professionals of color to rehabilitate vacant and foreclosed properties. These properties are then resold to local homebuyers — to preserve generational wealth — or rented out at affordable rates. The program trains people to be community receivers for free, teaching them how to acquire and rehabilitate the buildings, as well as how to leverage grants and local funding programs. Since 2020, the Program has trained about 520 people, rehabilitated 16 buildings and contributed about $4.5 million in restored property value.