We strategize ways to strengthen communities and retain residents.
Anti-Displacement
When housing supply doesn’t keep up with demand, displacement often follows—affecting residents, small businesses, and entire communities. Residential or commercial displacement, and we help them quantify this difficult-to-measure and often nuanced problem and identify major pressure points. We understand that displacement doesn’t happen in a silo, so we integrate anti-displacement strategies into larger local plans and programs and ensure real estate development and growth benefit current residents. Whether part of a larger real estate initiative or a targeted community effort, our goal is to ensure that growth and investment benefit those who already call an area home.
HR&A partnered with the City of Hayward to conduct a comprehensive housing displacement study that analyzed how rising housing costs were affecting different neighborhoods and populations. Our research provided the City with critical data and insights needed to secure county funding and guide affordable housing development decisions.
The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs selected HR&A to provide recommendations for a potential Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) policy for unincorporated areas in LA County, which aims to prevent displacement, preserve affordable housing, and increase homeownership opportunities for renters. HR&A developed a set of preliminary recommendations on program design and implementation strategies, including the required ecosystem, funding support, staffing costs, and data tracking needs.
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HR&A designed a comprehensive strategy for Northfield Community Local Development Corporation to launch Staten Island's first Community Land Trust, creating a locally tailored roadmap that positions the organization to expand affordable homeownership opportunities and strengthen community resilience through a financially viable CLT initiative.
HR&A worked with the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation to analyze how population decline was affecting the Borough of Wilkinsburg and develop strategies to attract new development. Our fiscal analysis and recommendations informed critical consolidation discussions between the Borough and the City of Pittsburgh.
HR&A analyzed eviction trends and prevention programs for the San Diego Housing Commission, conducting spatial analysis of eviction data, stakeholder interviews, and best practices research. Our recommendations enabled SDHC to understand local eviction patterns, identify program gaps, and design improved housing stability policies that protect renters from displacement.
HR&A worked with Los Angeles County to review and update the rent increase formula under its Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance following pandemic-era market disruptions. Our comprehensive analysis and stakeholder engagement produced six policy options, with the Board of Supervisors adopting one of our recommendations in June 2024.
HR&A provided Washington state legislators with comprehensive guidance on designing and implementing a statewide rental registry to address housing affordability challenges across the state. Working with over 200 stakeholders including renters, property owners, advocates, and local officials, we delivered actionable recommendations that will guide state legislators during the 2025 session and support the development of equitable and impactful housing policy at the State level.
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