Jennifer Ludden

Single-family homes define America's suburbs, and they've been mandated by law for generations. Now some states and cities are changing that to try and create more affordable housing.

California is the latest in a string of states and cities to try and save renters money on repeated application fees. But legal aid attorneys say the laws are proving difficult to enforce.

In a tight and competitive housing market, the first barrier for many are rental application fees. States and cities have passed laws to limit them, but it's proving hard to enforce.

Ahead of the New Year's weekend, the airline said that Friday will see minimal disruptions after its slashed schedule stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers during a wintry holiday stretch.

Southwest isn't the only airline experiencing delays and cancellations, but it is by far the worst-hit, with about 5,500 of its flights canceled across the country in the last two days.

The Biden administration says to end the homelessness crisis, more must be done to keep people from losing housing in the first place. But identifying and reaching those most at risk is a challenge.

Voters in several cities approved ballot measures to cap rents, part of a larger resurgence of rent control. Economists warn that such caps can actually reduce affordable housing overall.

Gas prices got a lot of attention in the midterms, but high housing costs are a bigger chunk of people's budgets. In cities around the country, voters approved more spending on affordable housing.

Skyrocketing rents and home prices have been a major part of voters' economic pain. New spending will go toward building and subsidizing more housing, and helping people avoid homelessness.

A Cincinnati agency says large investors are taking some of the most affordable homes off the market, exacerbating the racial wealth gap. It's now helping its new tenants buy the homes themselves.

Given record high rents and low vacancy rates, housing providers are offering to match people up as roommates to get them off the streets. But it can be a tough sell for both renters and landlords.

Experts say the federal child tax credit was a big reason for the drop. The expanded child tax credit ended in December, just as inflation was starting to climb to historic highs.

Child poverty is at a historic low, according to Census bureau data, and the rate of those without health insurance dropped in 2021. But the good news may be short-lived, as policy measures expire.

Many in Jackson, Mississippi, have had unreliable access water for decades. It's a problem made worse - and harder to solve - by a shrinking population and economic decline.

Residents accuse the largely white state government of neglecting the needs of a city that's 82% Black. White flight in the 1970s devastated the tax base, posing a major challenge to any solution.

Some 180,000 people in and near Mississippi's capital have not been able to use their tap water since Monday. It's the latest in a string of crises due to the city's aging water infrastructure.

Jackson, Miss., is still without access to safe drinking water, and it's not clear when it will be available. The government is trying to navigate getting bottled water to 150,000 residents.

A new poll finds white adults are more than twice as likely as others to get sizable financial help from parents or grandparents. By contrast, Black adults are more likely to give money to elders.

Most Americans say a lack of affordable housing is a serious problem where they live. An NPR poll also finds nearly twice as many Black renters as white faced an eviction threat in the past year.

According to a new poll, a majority of Americans said a lack of affordable housing is a serious problem where they live, and many fear eviction.