Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast

Jaime Albarelli and Robin Martinez

Business

Education

History

Frequency: 1 episode/9d. Total Eps: 14

Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast explores the policies, history, and real-world forces behind the chronic—and increasingly severe—shortage of affordable housing in the United States. Hosted by affordable housing professionals Jaime and Robin, the show breaks down complex housing issues and highlights practical solutions for people working in the housing industry, curious listeners who want to better understand the problem, and those navigating the challenges of finding an affordable place to live. Subscribe to our free substack: https://substack.com/@definingaffordable

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
11/08/2026
#81
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
31/07/2026
#74
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
29/07/2026
#95
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
23/07/2026
#85
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
09/07/2026
#63
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
08/07/2026
#79
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
05/07/2026
#80
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
03/07/2026
#63
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
19/06/2026
#81
🇺🇸 USA - nonProfit
16/06/2026
#98

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574586/
4 shares
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7580025/
2 shares

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 72%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

Defining Affordable Trailer

Monday, April 6, 2026 • Duration 04:39

What does “affordable housing” actually mean—and why does it feel so out of reach?

Hosted by Jaime and Robin—affordable housing industry professionals—Defining Affordable takes a clear, practical look at one of today’s most urgent challenges. This podcast goes beyond headlines to unpack the real forces shaping housing, from rent and development to homelessness, zoning, and the policies that determine who has access to opportunity.

Built for people working across the housing ecosystem—development, finance, property management, resident services, homelessness response, and government—this show connects your day-to-day work to the bigger system behind it.

Through each episode, we’ll explore:

How decades of policy decisions shaped today’s housing landscape

Why affordable housing is so difficult to build—and why supply falls short

The historical roots of inequity, including redlining, segregation, and zoning

What’s really driving homelessness in California

Real-world examples of communities and programs making progress

This isn’t just about buildings—it’s about people, stability, and opportunity.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated or stuck working within a system that doesn’t quite add up, you’re not alone—and you’re in the right place.

Follow, subscribe, and join us as we define what “affordable” really means.

Read moreCollapse

Homelessness Starts With Housing

Season 1 · Episode 5

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 • Duration 42:07

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.

“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.

“Federal Housing Cuts Left Millions Without Homes.” WRAP, 28 July 2023, https://wraphome.org/2023/07/28/federal-housing-cuts-left-millions-without-homes/.

LIHTC: The gift card that builds affordable housing

Season 1 · Episode 4

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 • Duration 38:44

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

Affordable Housing Basics

https://ebho.org/study-room/what-is-affordable-housing/

How LIHTC Works

How did we get here? A Housing History Part II

Season 1 · Episode 3

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 • Duration 40:23

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
Federal Housing Assistance Programs (CRS Report)
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
Urban Renewal StoryMap
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20975b3e5ae244bdb4fccd7ce2f4714a
Urban Redevelopment and Policy (Journal Article)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/107808749703300207
The Battle of Chicano Park
https://www.chicano-park.com/cpscbattleof.html

Highways, Infrastructure & Segregation

Roads to Nowhere: How Infrastructure Built American Inequality

Public Housing: History, Decline & DebateFair Housing & Policy ShiftsHousing Outcomes & Research

How did we get here? A Housing History Part I

Season 1 · Episode 2

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • Duration 34:32

This episode of Defining Affordable traces the timeline of how today’s housing crisis was built—from New Deal–era policies that expanded access to homeownership and affordable rentals for some, while deliberately excluding others. Robin and Jaime connect those inequitable policy decisions to the affordability challenges we see today. Covering the period through the 1960s, this episode sets the stage for Part 2, which will dive deeper into urban renewal, housing vouchers, and the modern landscape of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).

Sources & Further Reading

The Epic of America — James Truslow Adams (1931)
The Color of Law — Richard Rothstein (2017)
A History of the American Dream — George W. Bush Presidential Center
A Brief History of Housing Policy in the U.S. — Nurse-Led Care Collaborative
Why Are Housing Costs So High in California? — CalMatters
Homeownership Gaps by Race — Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
The Racial Wealth Gap — NYC Department of Health
Housing and Health: An Overview of the Literature — Health Affairs
Structural Racism and Housing Inequities — Public Health Reports

If the Economy Is Booming, Why Does Everything Feel Harder?

Season 1 · Episode 9

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 • Duration 39:16

In our last episode, Work vs. Wealth: Why Homeownership Keeps Moving Out of Reach, we explored the widening gap between wealth and work, making homeownership increasingly difficult to attain.

In this follow-up conversation, Robin and Jaime zoom out to examine the broader economic forces behind that trend.

If inflation is under control, why do groceries, insurance, and housing feel so much more expensive? If the economy is booming, why do so many people feel like they're working harder just to stay in the same place?

To understand that disconnect, Robin and Jaime explore the concept of a K-shaped economy—a framework that helps explain why economic growth can feel very different depending on whether your income comes from assets or wages.

Along the way, they discuss the difference between asset inflation and real wealth, why economic indicators often feel disconnected from everyday experience, and how policies designed to stimulate the economy can produce very different outcomes depending on which side of the K you're on.

This episode provides the economic context behind the housing affordability challenges discussed in our previous episode—and helps explain why so many people feel like the numbers don't match reality.

Sources & Further ReadingUnderstanding the K-Shaped Economy

Encyclopædia Britannica: What Is a K-Shaped Economy?
https://www.britannica.com/money/k-shaped-economy

Income Inequality & Wealth Gaps

Pew Research Center: Wealth Gaps Within Racial and Ethnic Groups
https://www.pewresearch.org/2023/12/04/wealth-gaps-within-racial-and-ethnic-groups/
Pew Research Center: Economic Inequality Seen as a Major Challenge Around the World
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/01/09/economic-inequality-seen-as-major-challenge-around-the-world/

Housing, Homeownership & Housing Finance50-Year MortgagesFeatured Resource: Gary StevensonFeatured Resource: Gabriel ZucmanNew Zealand: Housing, Austerity & Social Policy

Work Vs. Wealth: Why Homeownership Keeps Moving Out of Reach

Season 1 · Episode 8

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 • Duration 01:02:42

For decades, homeownership was one of the primary ways Americans built wealth. Today, even people with good jobs and steady incomes are finding it increasingly difficult to buy a home.

In this episode, Robin and Jaime explore how we got here. They unpack the housing boom and crash of 2008, the rise of mortgage-backed securities, and the role investors played in reshaping the housing market. Along the way, they examine a surprising reality of the pre-crash era: borrowers could often qualify for mortgages with little to no income verification and no down payment at all.

The conversation also challenges a common political talking point—that institutional investors are the primary reason homeownership is out of reach. While investors are certainly part of the story, the deeper issue lies in decades of policy decisions that have widened the gap between wealth and work.

As Robin puts it, opportunities created by wealth are growing exponentially, while opportunities created by work are shrinking. What does that mean for the future of homeownership—and is there still a path forward?

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we examine how we got here. In Part 2, we'll explore emerging models that could help more people build wealth and access homeownership in a changing economy.

Sources & Continued Reading

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

Handbook Chapter on Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)
https://www.fhfa.gov/Media/PublicAffairs/Documents/Handbook_chapter_on_MBS_slides_final.pdf

The 2008 Financial Crisis

Federal Reserve History: The Great Recession and Its Aftermath
https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/great-recession-and-its-aftermath
History.com: What Caused the 2008 Financial Crisis?

K-Shaped Economy

Strong Opinions, Weak Facts: Debunking Homelessness Myths

Season 1 · Episode 7

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 • Duration 43:01

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

Addiction Center. “Top 10 States With the Highest Overdose Rates.” AddictionCenter.com, 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/

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

Culhane, Dennis, et al. “California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH).” , 2023,

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

Season 1 · Episode 6

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 42:51

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/

CalMatters. “Where California Governor Candidates Stand on Homelessness.” CalMatters, May 2026.

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/

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

Candidate Websites

Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

ncbi.nlm.nih4

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

ncbi.nlm.nih4

Youtube1