Publications

_{By Chelsea DeCicco, Executive Vice President of Universal Initiatives}

Universal Initiatives is committed to providing excellent programs and investing in the wellness of our community. We stand on the front line of improving economic sustainability, eradicating poverty, preventing violence, overcom...

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, homelessness is defined as “an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (...

America’s affordable housing crisis affects every county in the country, without exception. Since 2000, rents have increased all over the country, which, in turn, increases the number of families in desperate need of an affordable place to live (Capps, 2015). For housing to be affordable, it should ...

The Eviction Crisis

“Eviction isn’t just a condition of poverty; it’s a cause of poverty…eviction is a direct cause of homelessness, but it also is a cause of residential instability, school instability [and] community instability.” – Matthew Desmond

The lack of stable affordable housing is the fo...

The United States is facing an affordable housing crisis.

It’s affecting Americans across the income spectrum. The National Low Income Housing Coalition found in 2018 that a renter working 40 hours a week and earning minimum wage can afford a typical two-bedroom apartment (i.e., not be cost-burdene...

This is a problem! Every state and every community is impacted. Families have few options. Each year the shortage gets worse; and that’s why people are homeless in our country and why families struggle to pay for groceries and visits to their doctor.

It is no secret that the world’s urban population is picking up, and, in many cases, urban rent prices are rising with it. Architects are continually inventing new solutions to confront the challenges of maximum unit count paired with minimum budget, all the while incorporating architecture’s latest...