Across the country, state and local officials turned to Urban experts for data, insight, and thought partnership as they sought to help families struggling to afford housing, child care, and other everyday essentials. In 2025, policymakers drew on our work to

• sustain support for investments in Denver that reversed years of rising unsheltered homelessness, achieving a 45 percent reduction and moving more than 6,000 people into permanent housing;
• more effectively meet the real-world needs of more than 360,000 children served by Georgia’s child care system and expand care for children in the early mornings, evenings, and weekends;
• develop strategies for Maryland’s “Earned It” campaign, which aims to increase uptake of state tax credits to help low- and moderate-income working families and young adults keep more of what they earn;
• fulfill a New York City ballot initiative requiring an annual “True Cost of Living” report measuring the share of residents who earn too little to meet essential needs in today’s economy; and

• reform Washington State zoning and property tax policies in unprecedented ways that could spur the development of tens of thousands of new homes near rail and bus stations.