Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast

Strong Opinions, Weak Facts: Debunking Homelessness Myths

What if everything you thought you knew about homelessness was wrong? Jaime and Robin tackle some of the most common — and most harmful — myths surrounding homelessness, using data and policy history to separate fact from fear-driven narratives. From the misconception that homelessness is caused by “bad choices” or drug use, to the belief that people “just don’t want help,” this conversation digs into the real drivers of housing insecurity: skyrocketing rents, a housing shortage, and decades of eroding social safety nets. Along the way, they unpack why veterans programs have succeeded, why homelessness is rising among seniors and families, and why compassion backed by evidence matters more than ever. If you’ve ever wondered how people end up unhoused — or why the crisis keeps growing — this episode will challenge assumptions and change the way you see homelessness in America. Sources and Further Reading: American Addiction Centers. “Substance Abuse by City.” American Addiction Centers, 2023, https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/substance-abuse-by-city [https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/substance-abuse-by-city] Addiction Center. “Top 10 States With the Highest Overdose Rates.” AddictionCenter.com, https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/top-10-states-highest-overdose/ [https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/top-10-states-highest-overdose/] California Health Care Foundation / CalMatters. “Federal Homelessness Report Delayed Amid National Housing Crisis.” CalMatters, May 2026, https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2026/05/homelessness-report-delayed/ [https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2026/05/homelessness-report-delayed/] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Drug Overdose Deaths by State.” CDC National Center for Health Statistics, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-stats/deaths/drug-overdose.html [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-stats/deaths/drug-overdose.html] Culhane, Dennis, et al. “California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH).” National Library of Medicine / NIH, 2023, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574586/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574586/] National Alliance to End Homelessness. “State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition.” EndHomelessness.org, https://endhomelessness.org/state-of-homelessness/ [https://endhomelessness.org/state-of-homelessness/] National Alliance to End Homelessness. “Employed and Experiencing Homelessness: What the Numbers Show.” EndHomelessness.org, https://endhomelessness.org/blog/employed-and-experiencing-homelessness-what-the-numbers-show/ [https://endhomelessness.org/blog/employed-and-experiencing-homelessness-what-the-numbers-show/] NBC San Diego. “Nevada Settles ‘Homeless Dumping’ Lawsuit.” NBC San Diego, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/nevada-settles-homeless-dumping-lawsuit/62120/ [https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/nevada-settles-homeless-dumping-lawsuit/62120/] Pew Charitable Trusts. “How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness.” Pew Research & Analysis, Aug. 22, 2023, https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/08/22/how-housing-costs-drive-levels-of-homelessness [https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/08/22/how-housing-costs-drive-levels-of-homelessness] Los Angeles Times. “West Virginia vs. Los Angeles: Addiction and Homelessness.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 5, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2023-10-05/drug-addiction-homelessness-opioids-west-virginia-vs-los-angeles [https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2023-10-05/drug-addiction-homelessness-opioids-west-virginia-vs-los-angeles] Los Angeles Times. “Police Moved Homeless People Out of Downtown San Diego.” Los Angeles Times Archives, May 10, 1990, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-10-me-1536-story.html [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-10-me-1536-story.html] Kaiser Family Foundation. “Five Key Facts About People Experiencing Homelessness.” KFF, https://www.kff.org/medicaid/five-key-facts-about-people-experiencing-homelessness/ [https://www.kff.org/medicaid/five-key-facts-about-people-experiencing-homelessness/] United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. “Data & Trends.” USICH.gov, https://usich.gov/guidance-reports-data/data-trends [https://usich.gov/guidance-reports-data/data-trends] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “How We Can End Veteran Homelessness.” VA.gov, https://department.va.gov/homeless/how-we-can-end-veteran-homelessness/ [https://department.va.gov/homeless/how-we-can-end-veteran-homelessness/]

California Governor Candidates on Housing: What They’re Actually Proposing

California’s housing shortage and affordability problems are front and center in the 2026 governor’s race. In this episode of Defining Affordable, Jaime and Robin break down where the top candidates stand on housing affordability, homelessness, zoning reform, accountability, and development policy. From deregulation and transit-oriented development to tenant protections and first-time homeownership, the candidates offer very different solutions to the same crisis. We unpack the policies, discuss what feels realistic, and share our thoughts on what the candidates gets right — and wrong — when it comes to housing. WORKS CITED CalMatters. “California’s Top Governor Candidates Are Finally Talking About Housing.” CalMatters, May 2026. https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-governor-housing-2026-yimby/ [https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-governor-housing-2026-yimby/] CalMatters. “Where California Governor Candidates Stand on Homelessness.” CalMatters, May 2026. https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/ca-governor-candidates-homelessness/ [https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/ca-governor-candidates-homelessness/] CalMatters. “HUD PIT Count 2024.” CalMatters, January 2025. https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2025/01/hud-pit-count-2024/ [https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2025/01/hud-pit-count-2024/] Los Angeles Times. “2026 California Governor Candidate Housing & Homelessness Guide.” Los Angeles Times, May 2026. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-01/2026-california-election-governor-candidates-housing-homelessness-voter-guide [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-01/2026-california-election-governor-candidates-housing-homelessness-voter-guide] Politico. “Buckshot or Moonshot? Democratic Candidates to Replace Newsom Offer Grand Plans for More Housing.” Politico, May 2026. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/07/buckshot-or-moonshot-dem-candidates-to-replace-newsom-offer-grand-plans-for-more-housing-00909349 [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/07/buckshot-or-moonshot-dem-candidates-to-replace-newsom-offer-grand-plans-for-more-housing-00909349] RAND Corporation. Building Affordable Housing in California Faster and More Efficiently. RAND, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3743-1.html [https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3743-1.html] Regional Task Force on Homelessness. “New RTFH Data Shows That in November the Number of People Who Moved Off the Streets and Into Housing Outpaced the Number of People Who Fell Into Homelessness.” RTFHSD.org. https://www.rtfhsd.org/new-rtfh-data-shows-that-in-november-the-number-of-people-who-moved-off-the-streets-and-into-housing-outpaced-the-number-of-people-who-fell-into-homelessness/ [https://www.rtfhsd.org/new-rtfh-data-shows-that-in-november-the-number-of-people-who-moved-off-the-streets-and-into-housing-outpaced-the-number-of-people-who-fell-into-homelessness/] CANDIDATE WEBSITES Xavier Becerra https://www.xbvolunteer.com/ [https://www.xbvolunteer.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Steve Hilton https://stevehiltonforgovernor.com/ [https://stevehiltonforgovernor.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Chad Bianco https://www.biancoforgovernor.com/ [https://www.biancoforgovernor.com/] Matt Mahan https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com/ [https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com/] Katie Porter https://katieporter.com/ [https://katieporter.com/] Tom Steyer https://www.tomsteyer.com/ [https://www.tomsteyer.com/]

Homelessness Starts With Housing

HOMELESSNESS STARTS WITH HOUSING In this episode of Defining Affordable, Jaime and Robin explore why the cost of housing is the single strongest predictor of homelessness — and how policy decisions helped create today’s crisis. Through the history of housing policy in the United States — from the New Deal and deinstitutionalization to the loss of SRO housing and major federal funding cuts — they unpack how rising rents and the shortage of deeply affordable homes create the homelessness crisis we see today. The conversation covers: * Why rent prices are the strongest predictor of homelessness * The loss of low-cost housing options * How policy decisions shaped today’s crisis * What “Housing First” means and why it works This episode connects the dots between housing affordability, public policy, and homelessness. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING: Colburn, Gregg, and Clayton Page Aldern. Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns. University of California Press, 2022. Burt, Martha R. “Helping America’s Homeless: Emergency Shelter or Affordable Housing?” Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin–Madison, https://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc52b.pdf [https://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc52b.pdf]. “Brief History of Homelessness in the U.S.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Magazine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2026, https://magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/brief-history-homelessness-us [https://magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/brief-history-homelessness-us]. “Federal Housing Cuts Left Millions Without Homes.” WRAP, 28 July 2023, https://wraphome.org/2023/07/28/federal-housing-cuts-left-millions-without-homes/ [https://wraphome.org/2023/07/28/federal-housing-cuts-left-millions-without-homes/]. Hartman, Chester, and David Robinson. “Reagan’s Legacy: Homelessness in America.” Shelterforce, 1 May 2004, https://shelterforce.org/2004/05/01/reagans-legacy-homelessness-in-america/ [https://shelterforce.org/2004/05/01/reagans-legacy-homelessness-in-america/]. “How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, 22 Aug. 2023, https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/08/22/how-housing-costs-drive-levels-of-homelessness [https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/08/22/how-housing-costs-drive-levels-of-homelessness]. “How States and Cities Decimated America’s Lowest-Cost Housing Option.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, July 2025, https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2025/07/how-states-and-cities-decimated-americans-lowest-cost-housing-option [https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2025/07/how-states-and-cities-decimated-americans-lowest-cost-housing-option]. “Homelessness in America.” Places Journal, https://placesjournal.org/article/tent-city-america/ [https://placesjournal.org/article/tent-city-america/]. “State of Homelessness: 2025 Edition.” National Alliance to End Homelessness, https://endhomelessness.org/state-of-homelessness/ [https://endhomelessness.org/state-of-homelessness/]. Tsai, Jack, et al. “Housing and Homelessness in the United States.” National Library of Medicine, 2023, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574586/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574586/]. Accessed 12 May 2026.

LIHTC: The gift card that builds affordable housing

In this episode of Defining Affordable, Jaime and Robin unpack LIHTC—the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program—and explain why it is the main way affordable housing gets built in the U.S. today. Using simple analogies, they break down how tax credits incentivize investors, why developers need them to make affordable housing projects financially viable, and how AMI, or Area Median Income, determines who qualifies. They also explore a key tension: housing can be “affordable” as a program category, but still not be affordable for the person living there. PARTICIPATION Calculate your housing cost burden using HUD’s definition of affordability: Housing Cost ÷ Gross Monthly Income × 100 * 30% or under = Affordable * 31%–50% = Rent burdened * Over 50% = Severely rent burdened SOURCES Look up your city's AMI limits : * https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odn [https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odn] Affordable Housing Basics * https://ebho.org/study-room/what-is-affordable-housing/ [https://ebho.org/study-room/what-is-affordable-housing/] How LIHTC Works * https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98758/lithc_how_it_works_and_who_it_serves_final_2.pdf [https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98758/lithc_how_it_works_and_who_it_serves_final_2.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * https://www.adventuresincre.com/inside-an-lihtc-investment/ [https://www.adventuresincre.com/inside-an-lihtc-investment/] * https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odn [https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odn] Housing Affordability Research * https://nlihc.org/gap [https://nlihc.org/gap?utm_source=chatgpt.com] – The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes (NLIHC) San Diego Salary Data Referenced * Public School Teacher Salary: https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/public-school-teacher-salary/san-diego-ca [https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/public-school-teacher-salary/san-diego-ca?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Social Work Case Manager Salary: https://www.indeed.com/career/social-work-case-manager/salaries/San-Diego--CA [https://www.indeed.com/career/social-work-case-manager/salaries/San-Diego--CA] * Mechanic Salaries: https://www.indeed.com/career/mechanic/salaries/San-Diego--CA [https://www.indeed.com/career/mechanic/salaries/San-Diego--CA] * https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/what-jobs-in-san-diego-pay-for-essential-expenses/509-805ff991-a37b-4550-b096-029e1e7f5a4c [https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/what-jobs-in-san-diego-pay-for-essential-expenses/509-805ff991-a37b-4550-b096-029e1e7f5a4c]

How did we get here? A Housing History Part II

This episode of Defining Affordable traces the shift in U.S. housing policy from the 1950s through the 1990s, as urban renewal and highway projects displaced low-income communities and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 sought to address discrimination. Robin and Jaime examine how the federal government moved away from public housing—citing its visible decline while overlooking chronic underfunding and often blaming residents—and pivoted toward vouchers and market-based solutions. The episode connects these policy choices to today’s affordability challenges and what our cities look like today. Sources and Further Reading: HOUSING POLICY OVERVIEW * A Brief History of Housing Policy in the U.S. * https://nurseledcare.phmc.org/advocacy/policy-blog/item/641:a-brief-history-of-housing-policy-in-the-u-s.htm [https://nurseledcare.phmc.org/advocacy/policy-blog/item/641:a-brief-history-of-housing-policy-in-the-u-s.htm] * Federal Housing Assistance Programs (CRS Report) * https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R41654.html [https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R41654.html] URBAN RENEWAL & DISPLACEMENT * Mapping Inequality: Urban Renewal * https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/renewal/#view=0/0/1&viz=cartogram&text=defining [https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/renewal/#view=0/0/1&viz=cartogram&text=defining] * Urban Renewal StoryMap * https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20975b3e5ae244bdb4fccd7ce2f4714a [https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20975b3e5ae244bdb4fccd7ce2f4714a] * Urban Redevelopment and Policy (Journal Article) * https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/107808749703300207 [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/107808749703300207] * The Battle of Chicano Park * https://www.chicano-park.com/cpscbattleof.html [https://www.chicano-park.com/cpscbattleof.html] HIGHWAYS, INFRASTRUCTURE & SEGREGATION * Roads to Nowhere: How Infrastructure Built American Inequality * https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/21/roads-nowhere-infrastructure-american-inequalityl [https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/21/roads-nowhere-infrastructure-american-inequalityl] * How the Interstate Highway System Reinforced Segregation * https://www.history.com/articles/interstate-highway-system-infrastructure-construction-segregation [https://www.history.com/articles/interstate-highway-system-infrastructure-construction-segregation] * 4 Ways U.S. Highways Were Designed to Harm Black Communities * https://www.cracked.com/article_30222_4-ways-us-highways-were-designed-to-screw-over-black-americans.htm [https://www.cracked.com/article_30222_4-ways-us-highways-were-designed-to-screw-over-black-americans.htm] * A Forgotten History of How the U.S. Government Segregated America * https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america [https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america] * Segregation by Design * https://www.segregationbydesign.com/ [https://www.segregationbydesign.com/] PUBLIC HOUSING: HISTORY, DECLINE & DEBATE * A History of Public Housing (NLIHC) * https://nlihc.org/resource/public-housing-history [https://nlihc.org/resource/public-housing-history] * Why Public Housing Was Set Up to Fail * https://www.vox.com/policy/390082/public-housing-america-policy-failure-poverty [https://www.vox.com/policy/390082/public-housing-america-policy-failure-poverty] * The Sabotage of Public Housing * https://www.homewardboundvillages.org/the-sabotage-of-public-housing-how-policy-choices-created-todays-crisis/ [https://www.homewardboundvillages.org/the-sabotage-of-public-housing-how-policy-choices-created-todays-crisis/] * Public Housing: What Went Wrong? * https://shelterforce.org/1994/09/01/public-housing-what-went-wrong/ [https://shelterforce.org/1994/09/01/public-housing-what-went-wrong/] * The Pruitt-Igoe Myth and the Death Knell of Public Housing * https://nhc.org/the-pruitt-igoe-myth-and-the-death-knell-of-public-housing/ [https://nhc.org/the-pruitt-igoe-myth-and-the-death-knell-of-public-housing/] FAIR HOUSING & POLICY SHIFTS * Fair Housing Act Overview (HUD) * https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/fair-housing-act-overview [https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/fair-housing-act-overview] * What Is the Faircloth Amendment? * https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/what-is-the-faircloth-amendment [https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/what-is-the-faircloth-amendment] HOUSING OUTCOMES & RESEARCH * Family Options Study (HUD) * https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Family-Options-Study-Full-Report.pdf [https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Family-Options-Study-Full-Report.pdf]