Minnesota roommate program hopes to improve caregiving for people with disabilities in Minnesota

The living conditions in refugee camps in the Middle East are very poor. Architects are piloting the Re:Build construction system that utilizes materials in the natural environment to construct homes, schools, and clinics. The system engages refugees in the process of building so that they can take ownership of their success and develop skills to integrate in returning to their home country.

A startling 70% of blind persons in the United States are unemployed. The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind is helping shift the understanding of what types of jobs are available to this population with a revolutionary factory built specifically for its blind employees. Each machine is retrofitted to be used safely and easily, empowering individuals to become more independent. This video takes you inside the factory to meet some of the workers.

Landed will pay for half a teacher's down payment on a home in exchange for a quarter of profits when the house is sold down the line. The San Francisco-based startup has recently arrived in Bellevue, where the median home price is hovering around $1 million.

For the growing number of adults with autism or other neurodivergencies, the First Place apartment complex is purposely designed to provide services and independent living, and to combat long waits for other supportive housing. The complex is one of the first of its kind and has a variety of funding sources, but at a monthly rent of $3300, it's not affordable for all families.

A Colorado bike builder creates adapted cycles for athletes who otherwise rely on wheelchairs for mobility. The cycles allow adventurous people with disabilities to ride trails and access difficult terrain.

North Carolina’s Roanoke Electric Cooperative is helping members bring down energy costs. Because the energy costs in this area is due to a lack of energy efficiency, the cooperative offers tariffed on-billing to help homes offset expenses like insulation and new heat pumps. The tariffed on-billing uses federal loans to pay for said expenses, and then the customer pays the tariff charge in their bill – which ends up being lower because of the energy efficient upgrades.

In response to the rapidly developing Seattle housing crisis, the city has begun to rezone single-family housing as high-rise apartment buildings and create accessible public transportation in redeveloped areas. Though this fastest-growing city in the country has a long way to go in the fight for affordable housing, the Bay Area cities can look to these rent-stabilizing solutions as possible responses to their own housing crisis.

As colleges and universities across the United States have shifted to online classes and shut down their campuses, not every student simply has the ability to move home. To help support these students, many of whom are low-income or international, the Stay Together Appalachian Youth Project began working with local communities to find housing for displaced students, as well as to provide other support like money or supplies.

A pilot program in Jackson Hole is trying to make home ownership affordable for the local workforce. The program provides help with the down payment by granting $150,000 to families that meet the requirements. The initiative puts a cap on the appreciation value of the homes bought using the grant which ensures that the property values stay affordable over time. A similar program in Vail, Colorado has produced impressive results.

Grove Park Renewal aims to help residents from the majority-black area of northwest Atlanta become homeowners by turning vacant properties into newly renovated, affordable homes. The nonprofit also offers an affordable rental program that allows qualifying individuals and families to live in one of its properties at a more affordable, income-adjusted rate.