a
- AB1482 Outlines tenants rights with the intention of protecting them from discrimination, harassment, unsafe living conditions, and other practices that could otherwise force them to find new housing.
- Anti-Displacement Strategy Policies, programs, and support services that are designed to help households and communities stay in place or find other places to live within the community when they are displaced.
c
- CBO A non-profit organization working on the needs of a specific community. CBOs typically focus on issues impacting the community such as healthcare, education, social services, housing, and community development. Examples of these community organizations include local food banks, youth mentoring programs, neighborhood associations, churches and immigrant support centers.
- CLT A non-profit organization that buys and manages land for the benefit of a community, typically for affordable housing.
- Code Enforcement The prevention, investigation and enforcement of violations of public health, safety, building standards, and land-use that local governments provide in their communities.
- Community-Based Organization A non-profit organization working on the needs of a specific community. CBOs typically focus on issues impacting the community such as healthcare, education, social services, housing, and community development. Examples of these community organizations include local food banks, youth mentoring programs, neighborhood associations, churches and immigrant support centers.
- Community Land Trust A non-profit organization that buys and manages land for the benefit of a community, typically for affordable housing.
- Cultural Displacement When new development and new residents change the character of the area, creating a feeling of loss for residents who have been in the area for a longer time.
d
- Deed-restricted affordable housing Housing units that are required to remain affordable for a certain number of year and must be offered at certain rent levels to people at defined income levels. (Subsidized affordable housing, permanently affordable housing, and deed-restricted affordable housing are terms for the same concept.)
- Direct Displacement When a person or family is forced to move because they are evicted, their building is torn down, or because of pressures like harassment, steep rent increases or unsafe living conditions.
e
- Eviction The eviction process starts when your landlord gives you a written Notice. This Notice tells you to do something—like pay rent—or to move out. If you don’t do what the Notice says, your landlord can start a court case to ask a judge to order you to move out. After the landlord gives you the Notice, it can take 30 to 45 days—or longer—for the judge to decide. If you lose the case, the judge can order you to move out of your home.
g
- Gentrification A type of neighborhood change that happens when people who make higher incomes move into neighborhoods that haven’t received as much investment or where residents have typically made lower incomes. This change can cause rents, housing prices, and other costs to rise. After a while, gentrification may also cause cultural displacement where residents who stay no longer feel the community reflects who they are and their needs.
h
- Hard displacement When a person or family is forced to move because they are evicted, their building is torn down, or because of pressures like harassment, steep rent increases or unsafe living conditions.
- Housing Choice Voucher The Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8) helps low-income families, elderly persons, veterans and disabled individuals afford housing in the private market.
- Housing Element A plan that each city, town and county must complete every eight years which demonstrates that enough housing can be built to meet future needs.
- Housing segregation The separation of people into different residential areas based on race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.
i
- Inclusionary Housing Inclusionary housing programs are local policies that tap the economic gains from rising real estate values to create affordable housing for lower income families. An inclusionary housing program might require developers to sell or rent 10 to 30 percent of new residential units to lower-income residents.
- Inclusionary Program Inclusionary housing programs are local policies that tap the economic gains from rising real estate values to create affordable housing for lower income families. An inclusionary housing program might require developers to sell or rent 10 to 30 percent of new residential units to lower-income residents.
- Inclusionary Zoning Inclusionary housing programs are local policies that tap the economic gains from rising real estate values to create affordable housing for lower income families. An inclusionary housing program might require developers to sell or rent 10 to 30 percent of new residential units to lower-income residents.
- Indirect Displacement When a person or family can no longer afford to stay in their home because of rising rent or cost of living.
j
- Just cause eviction When a tenant is evicted for a reason which is not their fault, such as a landlord move-in, conversion to ownership, or building demolition.
l
- Land Banks A land bank is a public entity with unique powers to put vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties back to productive use according to community goals.
m
- Mediation An informal method of dispute resolution where a neutral third party helps the landlord and tenant resolve problems.
- Ministerial Approval A development approval process requiring that review must be objective with little or no personal judgment by local government staff and where approval is given if all the standards are met.
n
- Naturally affordable housing Housing units that are not restricted to people with certain income levels and do not have strict requirements on rent that can be charged.
- No-fault eviction When a tenant is evicted for a reason which is not their fault, such as a landlord move-in, conversion to ownership, or building demolition.
p
- Permanently affordable housing Housing units that are required to remain affordable for a certain number of year and must be offered at certain rent levels to people at defined income levels. (Subsidized affordable housing, permanently affordable housing, and deed-restricted affordable housing are terms for the same concept.)
- Permit streamlining State or locally defined limits on how long a local government can take to review and process housing project applications.
- Pro-housing community Communities that support policies and programs that encourage more housing to be built.
r
- Redlining The historic discriminatory practice by which banks, insurance companies, and governments historically refused or limited loans, mortgages, insurance, within specific geographic areas, especially in predominantly minority or racially and ethnically mixed neighborhoods.
- Rent burden Households are considered cost-burdened when they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, mortgage payments, and other housing costs, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Households spending more than 50% of their income on housing costs are considered severely cost-burdened.
- Rent control Rent stabilization laws, or rent control, prohibit landlords from raising the rent more than a certain amount in a certain time frame.
- Rent stabilization Rent stabilization laws, or rent control, prohibit landlords from raising the rent more than a certain amount in a certain time frame.
- Right of first refusal A seller must notify the tenants or specific entities of their intent to sell and give them the first chance to make an offer. The potential buyers have the opportunity to match a market offer before the owners sell. By enabling tenants or community groups to take ownership of the property, these policies allow existing residents to keep their homes.
s
- Section 8 The Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8) helps low-income families, elderly persons, veterans and disabled individuals afford housing in the private market.
- Single-Room Occupancy A type of low-cost housing with a single room, that may or may not have its own kitchen or bathroom facilities. These units are typically affordable and occupied by low-income households.
- Soft displacement When a person or family can no longer afford to stay in their home because of rising rent or cost of living.
- SRO A type of low-cost housing with a single room, that may or may not have its own kitchen or bathroom facilities. These units are typically affordable and occupied by low-income households.
- Subsidized affordable housing Housing units that are required to remain affordable for a certain number of year and must be offered at certain rent levels to people at defined income levels. (Subsidized affordable housing, permanently affordable housing, and deed-restricted affordable housing are terms for the same concept.)
t
- Tenant Protections Act Outlines tenants rights with the intention of protecting them from discrimination, harassment, unsafe living conditions, and other practices that could otherwise force them to find new housing.
- Tenant Right to Counsel A program that provides tenants the right to a free attorney that assists them through their eviction case.
u
- Unsubsidized Affordable Housing Housing units that are not restricted to people with certain income levels and do not have strict requirements on rent that can be charged.
