Our team at Grounded Solutions Network brings decades of experience working within and alongside local governments; we understand the daily challenges facing staff who lead implementation of new ordinances and regulations.

New and revised policies that resulted from our technical assistance between 2014 and 2018 will:

• Create thousands of new affordable units in mixed-income buildings.
• Generate over $320 million in housing trust fund dollars.
• Preserve 10,000 units from loss due to expiring affordability restrictions and obsolescence.
• Improve stewardship so that units last and are occupied by intended occupants in over 10,000 units.

We have extensive expertise in inclusionary housing and inclusionary zoning, density bonus policies, impact fee policies, shared equity homeownership models, preservation strategies, and housing trust funds. For clients who need it, we also support needs analysis and housing strategic planning, taking into consideration the entire toolkit of strategies that local governments have at their disposal.

Responding to the National Crisis

Our nation’s legacy of economically and racially exclusionary policies has resulted in segregated cities and suburbs across the U.S. For example, redlining policies upheld by the Federal Reserve Bank from 1934 to 1968 disallowed conventional mortgage lending in communities of color. To this day, the impacts of inequality and segregation weigh heavily in neighborhoods in every corner of the country. Meanwhile, rising rents and sales prices have dramatically outpaced wage growth. Today, people of all types are struggling to keep up with monthly housing expenses. In fact, the U.S. Census tells us that about one-third of the population is now housing-cost burdened. 

To address these challenges, city leaders are turning to Grounded Solutions Network for help identifying and implementing policies for their communities to achieve greater diversity, inclusion, and opportunity.

How We Work with Cities and Counties

Our help comes in all sizes: from answering inquiries through our Help Desk, to providing a suite of innovative online tools and resources, to multi-year technical assistance engagements. We provide both virtual and in-person learning opportunities through conference gatherings, our e-learning series, and other convenings.

We do not work with all jurisdictions who approach us, but rather, we select clients and projects that align with our mission. We look for scale of impact and for clients who share our commitment to racial equity and community engagement.

Some of the cities that have commissioned our work include Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, San Jose, New York City, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Nashville, Ontario, and Detroit. 

Learn more about our technical assistance services

Resources 

• Housing Policy Toolkit
• Case Studies