Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast

Jaime Albarelli and Robin Martinez
  • 5.0 (15)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • SERIES

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.

  1. EPISODE 1

    The Foundation

    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)

    24 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    How did we get here? A Housing History Part I

    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 CenterA Brief History of Housing Policy in the U.S. — Nurse-Led Care CollaborativeWhy Are Housing Costs So High in California? — CalMattersHomeownership Gaps by Race — Harvard Joint Center for Housing StudiesThe Racial Wealth Gap — NYC Department of HealthHousing and Health: An Overview of the Literature — Health AffairsStructural Racism and Housing Inequities — Public Health ReportsLife Expectancy in the United States: Working-Class Report — U.S. Senate (2025)

    35 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    How did we get here? A Housing History Part II

    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: Housing Policy OverviewA 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.htmFederal Housing Assistance Programs (CRS Report) https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R41654.htmlUrban Renewal & DisplacementMapping Inequality: Urban Renewalhttps://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/renewal/#view=0/0/1&viz=cartogram&text=definingUrban Renewal StoryMaphttps://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20975b3e5ae244bdb4fccd7ce2f4714aUrban Redevelopment and Policy (Journal Article) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/107808749703300207The Battle of Chicano Park https://www.chicano-park.com/cpscbattleof.htmlHighways, Infrastructure & SegregationRoads to Nowhere: How Infrastructure Built American Inequality https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/21/roads-nowhere-infrastructure-american-inequalitylHow the Interstate Highway System Reinforced Segregation https://www.history.com/articles/interstate-highway-system-infrastructure-construction-segregation4 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.htmA 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-americaSegregation by Design https://www.segregationbydesign.com/Public Housing: History, Decline & DebateA History of Public Housing (NLIHC) https://nlihc.org/resource/public-housing-historyWhy Public Housing Was Set Up to Fail https://www.vox.com/policy/390082/public-housing-america-policy-failure-povertyThe 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 & Policy ShiftsFair Housing Act Overview (HUD) https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/fair-housing-act-overviewWhat Is the Faircloth Amendment? https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/what-is-the-faircloth-amendmentHousing Outcomes & ResearchFamily Options Study (HUD) https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Family-Options-Study-Full-Report.pdf

    40 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    LIHTC: The gift card that builds affordable housing

    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. ParticipationCalculate your housing cost burden using HUD’s definition of affordability: Housing Cost ÷ Gross Monthly Income × 100 30% or under = Affordable31%–50% = Rent burdenedOver 50% = Severely rent burdenedSourcesLook up your city's AMI limits : https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odnAffordable 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.pdfhttps://www.adventuresincre.com/inside-an-lihtc-investment/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_geography.odnHousing 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-caSocial Work Case Manager Salary: https://www.indeed.com/career/social-work-case-manager/salaries/San-Diego--CAMechanic Salaries: https://www.indeed.com/career/mechanic/salaries/San-Diego--CAhttps://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/what-jobs-in-san-diego-pay-for-essential-expenses/509-805ff991-a37b-4550-b096-029e1e7f5a4c

    39 min
See All Season 1 (4)

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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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