Evidence Mounts on The Impact of State and Federal Policy Shifts

It’s been a seismic summer, with housing and essential services squarely at the forefront of national attention. At Addison Housing Works, we’re working to stay engaged and responsive amid ongoing volatility, always with our residents’ safety and security as the bottom line.

It seems like every day brings new data pointing to the consequences of federal retrenchment. Two recent reports from the Urban Institute stand out. One offers an interactive look at the geographic footprint of households that rely on both Medicaid and SNAP: over 12 million across the U.S., including many in rural regions like ours. Cuts to either program don’t just affect health or hunger in isolation; they ripple directly into housing stability.

The second report is just as clear: when there isn’t enough affordable housing, more children and youth experience homelessness. Over the past 17 years, the number of homeless K–12 students has risen nearly 80%. These young people face chronic absenteeism, lower graduation rates, and compounding disadvantage. If we’re serious about educational equity, we have to be serious about housing supply.

We’re also seeing growing evidence of what does move the needle, right from our own back yard. A new paper from a Middlebury College economics professor and student is drawing national attention for its analysis of Minneapolis’s 2018 zoning reforms. By eliminating single-family-only zoning, the city saw rents and home prices fall by double digits. The research offers a compelling argument for how local land use reform can impact affordability even before a single unit is built.

All of this reinforces why our work matters—not just the homes we develop and manage, but the systems-level engagement we bring to the table. Thank you for staying in this with us.