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A woman and her four young children unload grocery bags around a kitchen island.
Greg Acs, vice president for the Tax and Income Supports Division at the Urban Institute, spoke with Virginia Public Media about the risks of addressing affordability in a zero-sum context that focuses on who bears the short-term costs of a policy instead of its potential for growth.

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  • Two completed houses sit between two undergoing construction on a new-feeling residential street.
    Jim Parrott and Jared Bernstein on what comes after the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
    Summary
    In an op-ed for The New York Times, Jim Parrott, nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute, and coauthor Jared Bernstein write that despite barriers, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act has great promise when it comes to addressing the nation’s affordable housing shortage.
  • A father chops a tomato into quarters as a pregnant woman squeezes lemon over a salad they're preparing together at their kitchen island, which also holds bowls of different kinds of fruits, veggies, and a carton of eggs.
    Michael Neal discusses why the way we measure homeownership rates matters
    Summary
    Michael Neal, a housing finance expert at the Urban Institute, spoke with The Washington Post about the implications of this approach, which attributes a head of household’s demographic characteristics to the entire household.
  • A woman and adolescent girl, both with long brown ponytails, load up a netted market bag with apricots at an open-air farmer's market structure.
    Elaine Waxman on declining SNAP enrollment
    Summary
    Elaine Waxman, a safety net expert at the Urban Institute, spoke with the The New York Times about how Arizona’s experience suggests other states may prioritize reducing errors over SNAP maintaining access.
  •  An overhead shot of two young people in turquoise gloves sorting and loading boxes of canned food and dried pasta.
    Hannah Martin on why human services nonprofits are struggling to meet demand
    Summary
    Hannah Martin, a nonprofits and philanthropy expert at the Urban Institute, spoke to The New York Times about how nonprofits have struggled following federal funding freezes and staff reductions.
  • A woman in a camel-colored jacket pays with a credit card at the grocery store check-out.
    Kassandra Martinchek on affording groceries amid inflation
    Summary
    Facing inflation, people have been turning to credit cards; using buy now, pay later loans; or tapping into savings to afford groceries.
  • An outside view of a small orange house with a white garage door and well-kept grass lawn that features some shrubs, plants, and flowers.
    Yonah Freemark and Aniket Mehrotra on the ROAD to Housing Act
    Summary
    Speaking with CNN, Yonah Freemark and Aniket Mehrotra, housing experts at the Urban Institute, described how 35 programs, regulations, and studies included in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act will require time and staff capacity to implement.