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.
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Transit-oriented development promises to connect housing, transportation, and opportunity—but simply building homes near a train or bus station isn't enough. Our first guest, Jacob Billitteri, Senior Project Manager at Affirmed Housing, joins us to explore what it actually takes to create successful transit-oriented communities and why thoughtful planning matters as much as the housing itself.
Using the Berryessa Transit Center development in San José as a real-world case study, we examine how affordable housing, public transit, zoning, financing, and infrastructure can work together to create more connected communities. We also discuss California's SB 79, the challenges facing transit-oriented development, and why reliable transit and long-term regional planning are essential if these communities are going to succeed.
Editor's Note: At the beginning of this episode, we revisit a correction from our previous discussion of institutional investors and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Additional information and sources are included below.
Sources & More ReadingTransit-Oriented Development
Breaking Down the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Season 1 · Episode 12
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 • Duration 51:13
Congress has passed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, one of the most significant federal housing bills in years. But unlike many housing bills, this isn't primarily about spending more money. It's about changing the rules that shape how housing gets built.
This episode breaks down what the legislation actually does, including reforms to Community Development Block Grants, environmental reviews, manufactured and modular housing, building codes, homeownership programs, and housing development incentives. It also explores where the bill makes meaningful progress, where it falls short, and why implementation by states and local governments will ultimately determine its impact.
Editor's Note: During our discussion of the institutional investor provisions, we referenced a requirement that certain build-to-rent and renovate-to-rent homes must be sold to individual buyers after seven years. After recording, we learned this provision appeared in an earlier version of the legislation but was removed before the final bill became law. We'll discuss this correction at the beginning of our next episode.
Sources & Further ReadingAbout the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Congress.gov – H.R. 6644: 21st Century Road to Housing Act (Full Bill Text)
Affordable housing creates stability. But what should come next?
We've spent a lot of time discussing why homeownership has become increasingly difficult to achieve and what that means for wealth inequality in America. But if fewer people are able to build wealth through traditional homeownership, how do we create new opportunities for renters?
This episode explores innovative ideas that challenge the traditional path to wealth-building, including reporting rent payments to credit bureaus, renter wealth creation models, community land trusts, and limited-equity housing cooperatives.
These approaches don't replace the need for more affordable housing. They build on it by asking a bigger question: once someone has stable housing, how do we help them build financial security, assets, and long-term opportunity?
Housing stability matters. But maybe stability isn't the finish line. Maybe it's where opportunity begins.
Sources & Continued ReadingRenter Wealth Creation
Renter Wealth Creation — Enterprise Community Partners
Housing Cooperatives & Limited Equity CooperativesSan Diego Example
The Cost of Going Backward: HUD's New Approach to Homelessness
Season 1 · Episode 10
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 • Duration 41:19
HUD recently released its 2026 Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), signaling a major shift in federal homelessness policy. In this special episode of Defining Affordable, Jaime and Robin examine the proposed changes, the evidence behind them, and what they could mean for communities across the country.
HUD argues that Housing First has failed and proposes a renewed emphasis on transitional housing, recovery-focused programs, and new measures of self-sufficiency. But do the data support that conclusion?
Drawing on decades of research, local experience, and examples from communities across the nation, Jaime breaks down the claims made in the NOFO and explores why many housing professionals are concerned that these changes could reverse hard-won progress in reducing homelessness and improving housing stability.
The conversation examines the real costs of homelessness, the effectiveness of Housing First and Permanent Supportive Housing, and the potential consequences of moving away from evidence-based approaches that have helped communities achieve measurable results.
Resources referenced during the episode, including opportunities for advocacy and further reading, are included below.
Sources & Further ReadingHUD's 2026 Continuum of Care NOFO
HUD News Release — HUD Announces 2026 Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
Housing First & Permanent Supportive HousingHomelessness, Health, & Housing StabilityHarm ReductionRent ControlHousing Affordability & Rent TrendsTake ActionContact Your RepresentativesExplore the Impact
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?
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 ReadingMortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)
Handbook Chapter on Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)
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.
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.
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.
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:
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
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.
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