Housing For All: Dispelling Myths & Elevating Possibilities | Renia Ehrenfeucht, UNM

The third session of Taos Housing Partnership's speaker series asks a foundational question: is homelessness really a "crisis," or does that framing get in the way of solving it? Renia Ehrenfeucht, Professor of Community and Regional Planning at the University of New Mexico, walks through decades of housing policy history, current data on New Mexico's housing shortage, and the myths that shape how communities respond to the problem. Topics include the difference between affordability and housing shortage as distinct (but related) crises, why New Mexico's rents have risen 60% since 2017 (more than twice the national rate) alongside an 87% rise in homelessness, the lasting effects of the 2008 financial crisis on housing construction, the mortgage interest deduction as the country's biggest (and least discussed) housing subsidy, discriminatory housing history and its long tail, the rise of single-person households and what that means for housing demand, source-of-income discrimination and voucher acceptance, density bonuses, and public-private partnership models used in other states. The session closes with an extended audience Q&A on rural housing data, local zoning, and how communities can make the case for policy change, followed by Taos Housing Partnership updates on the county's affordable housing planning, an upcoming RFP for county-owned land, and the next session on housing trust funds. Short clips from this talk are also available on our channel under the Housing For All series. TAOS HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Website: https://www.taoshousingpartnership.org Facebook:   / taoshousingpartnership   Instagram:   / taos_housing_partnership   CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome & introductions 1:32 Introducing Renia Ehrenfeucht 2:34 Housing as a shared future 3:28 Housing action & advocacy through the years 4:47 Is homelessness a "crisis"? Rethinking the frame 7:01 New Mexico's rent & homelessness data 9:00 The housing shortage, explained 11:33 Building housing that benefits everyone 11:56 The mortgage interest deduction as our biggest subsidy 15:43 Rising single-person households & housing demand 19:32 Why we haven't incentivized the right housing mix 23:41 Discrimination, disinvestment & wealth building through homeownership 27:27 Income segregation & neighborhood resistance 31:12 Institutional investors in the housing market 35:18 The growing gap between owners and renters 39:26 Funds for home repair & maintenance assistance 43:07 A case study: affordable housing density in Rio Rancho 46:52 Source-of-income discrimination & voucher acceptance 50:40 Public-private partnerships as a funding model 54:56 Density bonuses explained 58:54 Q&A: lessons from Texas & rural housing trends 1:02:34 Q&A: making the case for rural housing data 1:06:28 Q&A: why your voice matters to local council members 1:10:20 Wages, housing prices & simultaneous solutions 1:14:01 What we're really responding to when we resist new housing 1:21:27 Raffle & closing announcements 1:23:28 Thanking Taos County & speaker series partners 1:26:21 Upcoming: housing trust funds & homebuyer education Video produced by True Kids 1 | truekids1.org #TaosHousingPartnership #AffordableHousing #Taos #NewMexico #HousingPolicy #Homelessness #CommunityDevelopment #HousingForAll