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

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.

In this foundational episode of Defining Affordable, Robin and Jaime step back to unpack how California’s housing crisis became the norm—and why it shouldn’t be. They explore rising rents, stagnant wages, and the growing gap between incomes and housing costs, grounding the conversation in real numbers and everyday experiences. From rent burden to housing scarcity, this episode separates symptoms from root causes and lays the groundwork for understanding how policy decisions shaped today’s affordability challenges.

Sources & Further Reading

• California Housing Shortage (SCPR)
• Why Housing Costs Are So High in California (CalMatters)
• Rent Increases Across U.S. Cities (CBS News)
• The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes (National Low Income Housing Coalition)
• Why The California housing market is so expensive in 2024 (CalMatters)

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.

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/.

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/.

“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.

“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.

“Homelessness in America.” Places Journal, https://placesjournal.org/article/tent-city-america/.

“State of Homelessness: 2025 Edition.” National Alliance to End 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/. Accessed 12 May 2026.

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.

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

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

• https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98758/lithc_how_it_works_and_who_it_serves_final_2.pdf
• https://www.adventuresincre.com/inside-an-lihtc-investment/
• https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odn

Housing Affordability Research

• https://nlihc.org/gap – 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
• Social Work Case Manager Salary: 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.cbs8.com/article/news/local/what-jobs-in-san-diego-pay-for-essential-expenses/509-805ff991-a37b-4550-b096-029e1e7f5a4c

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:

• 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

• 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

• Roads to Nowhere: How Infrastructure Built American Inequality
• 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
• 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
• 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/

• A History of Public Housing (NLIHC)
• 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
• The Sabotage of Public Housing
• 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/
• 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 Act Overview (HUD)
• 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

• Family Options Study (HUD)
• https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Family-Options-Study-Full-Report.pdf

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
• Life Expectancy in the United States: Working-Class Report — U.S. Senate (2025)

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.

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

• 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/

• Urban Institute: The Future of Homeownership and Housing Finance
• https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/The_Future_of_Homeownership_and_Housing_Finance.pdf
• Urban Institute: How Expanding Housing Supply and Supporting Demand Can Increase Homeownership
• https://www.urban.org/research/publication/how-expanding-housing-supply-and-supporting-demand-can-increase-homeownership

• NPR Planet Money: Is a 50-Year Mortgage Really That Much Crazier Than a 30-Year One?
• https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/11/18/g-s1-98040/is-a-50-year-mortgage-really-that-much-crazier-than-a-30-year-one

Robin references the work of former interest rate trader and economic commentator Gary Stevenson throughout this episode.

• The Economy Is Rigged for Billionaires (Prof G Podcast featuring Gary Stevenson)
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-economy-is-rigged-for-billionaires-ft-gary-stevenson/id1498802610?i=1000766587939
• Gary's Economics (YouTube Channel)
• https://www.youtube.com/garyseconomics

Economist Gabriel Zucman is one of the leading researchers on wealth inequality, taxation, and global wealth concentration.

• Gabriel Zucman's Website & Research
• https://gabriel-zucman.eu/
• A Blueprint for a Coordinated Minimum Effective Taxation Standard for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals
• https://gabriel-zucman.eu/files/report-g20.pdf

During the episode, Robin and Jaime discuss how other countries are grappling with many of the same challenges around housing affordability, inequality, and economic policy.

• Per Capita: New Zealand Shows Austerity and Interest Rate Hikes Won't Cure Australia's Sticky Inflation
• https://percapita.org.au/new-zealand-shows-austerity-and-interest-rate-hikes-wont-cure-australias-sticky-inflation/
• Associated Press: New Zealand Public Sector Job Cuts
• https://apnews.com/article/public-sector-job-cuts-new-zealand-willis-c862d58680c108ffa8bdb9095292f960
• Green Party of New Zealand: Public Housing Reform Cuts Costs at the Expense of Our Most Vulnerable
• https://www.greens.org.nz/national_s_public_housing_reform_cuts_costs_at_the_expense_of_our_most_vulnerable
• Radio New Zealand: Budget 2026 a Washout for Struggling Families, Advocates Say
• https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/596645/budget-2026-a-washout-for-struggling-families-advocates-say
• Radio New Zealand: Move-On Orders Will Criminalise Children Experiencing Homelessness, Public Health Experts Say
• https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/598256/move-on-orders-will-criminalise-children-experiencing-homelessness-public-health-experts

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.

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

• 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?
• https://www.history.com/articles/2008-financial-crisis-causes

• Encyclopædia Britannica: What Is a K-Shaped Economy?
• https://www.britannica.com/money/k-shaped-economy
• Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Explaining the K-Shaped Economy: What's Behind the Divide?
• https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/05/explaining-the-k-shaped-economy-whats-behind-the-divide/

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).” National Library of Medicine / NIH, 2023, 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/

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/

NBC San Diego. “Nevada Settles ‘Homeless Dumping’ Lawsuit.” NBC San Diego, 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

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

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

Kaiser Family Foundation. “Five Key Facts About People Experiencing Homelessness.” KFF, 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

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/

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.

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

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

RAND Corporation. Building Affordable Housing in California Faster and More Efficiently. RAND, 2025.

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/

Xavier Becerra

https://www.xbvolunteer.com/

Steve Hilton

https://stevehiltonforgovernor.com/

Chad Bianco

https://www.biancoforgovernor.com/

Matt Mahan

https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com/

Katie Porter

https://katieporter.com/

Tom Steyer

https://www.tomsteyer.com/