Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast

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Podcast by Jaime Albarelli and Robin Martinez

Defining Affordable: A Housing Solutions Podcast

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. Subscribe to our free substack: https://substack.com/@definingaffordable
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Latest episodes

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07 August 2026

Transit-Oriented Development: What Makes It Work?

Transit-oriented development promises to connect housing, transportation, and opportunity—but simply building homes near a train or bus station isn't enough. Our first guest, Jacob Billitteri, Senior Project Manager at Affirmed Housing, joins us to explore what it actually takes to create successful transit-oriented communities and why thoughtful planning matters as much as the housing itself.

Using the Berryessa Transit Center development in San José as a real-world case study, we examine how affordable housing, public transit, zoning, financing, and infrastructure can work together to create more connected communities. We also discuss California's SB 79, the challenges facing transit-oriented development, and why reliable transit and long-term regional planning are essential if these communities are going to succeed.

Editor's Note: At the beginning of this episode, we revisit a correction from our previous discussion of institutional investors and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Additional information and sources are included below.

Sources & More Reading

Transit-Oriented Development

SB 79

Berryessa Transit Center

San Diego Transit & Housing

San Diego History

Institutional Investors & the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

Learn More About Our Guest

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43:39

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21 July 2026

Breaking Down the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

Congress has passed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, one of the most significant federal housing bills in years. But unlike many housing bills, this isn't primarily about spending more money. It's about changing the rules that shape how housing gets built.

This episode breaks down what the legislation actually does, including reforms to Community Development Block Grants, environmental reviews, manufactured and modular housing, building codes, homeownership programs, and housing development incentives. It also explores where the bill makes meaningful progress, where it falls short, and why implementation by states and local governments will ultimately determine its impact.

Editor's Note: During our discussion of the institutional investor provisions, we referenced a requirement that certain build-to-rent and renovate-to-rent homes must be sold to individual buyers after seven years. After recording, we learned this provision appeared in an earlier version of the legislation but was removed before the final bill became law. We'll discuss this correction at the beginning of our next episode.

Sources & Further Reading

About the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

Environmental Review (NEPA) Reforms

Single-Staircase Apartment Buildings

Institutional Investors & Build-to-Rent Housing

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51:13

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07 July 2026

What If Stability Was Just The Starting Line?

Affordable housing creates stability. But what should come next?

We've spent a lot of time discussing why homeownership has become increasingly difficult to achieve and what that means for wealth inequality in America. But if fewer people are able to build wealth through traditional homeownership, how do we create new opportunities for renters?

This episode explores innovative ideas that challenge the traditional path to wealth-building, including reporting rent payments to credit bureaus, renter wealth creation models, community land trusts, and limited-equity housing cooperatives.

These approaches don't replace the need for more affordable housing. They build on it by asking a bigger question: once someone has stable housing, how do we help them build financial security, assets, and long-term opportunity?

Housing stability matters. But maybe stability isn't the finish line. Maybe it's where opportunity begins.

Sources & Continued Reading

Renter Wealth Creation

Community Land Trusts

Housing Cooperatives & Limited Equity Cooperatives

San Diego Example

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28:41

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23 June 2026

The Cost of Going Backward: HUD's New Approach to Homelessness

HUD recently released its 2026 Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), signaling a major shift in federal homelessness policy. In this special episode of Defining Affordable, Jaime and Robin examine the proposed changes, the evidence behind them, and what they could mean for communities across the country.

HUD argues that Housing First has failed and proposes a renewed emphasis on transitional housing, recovery-focused programs, and new measures of self-sufficiency. But do the data support that conclusion?

Drawing on decades of research, local experience, and examples from communities across the nation, Jaime breaks down the claims made in the NOFO and explores why many housing professionals are concerned that these changes could reverse hard-won progress in reducing homelessness and improving housing stability.

The conversation examines the real costs of homelessness, the effectiveness of Housing First and Permanent Supportive Housing, and the potential consequences of moving away from evidence-based approaches that have helped communities achieve measurable results.

Resources referenced during the episode, including opportunities for advocacy and further reading, are included below.

Sources & Further Reading

HUD's 2026 Continuum of Care NOFO

Housing First & Permanent Supportive Housing

Homelessness, Health, & Housing Stability

Harm Reduction

Rent Control

Housing Affordability & Rent Trends

Take Action

Contact Your Representatives

Share your thoughts on the proposed FY 2026 Continuum of Care NOFO with your elected officials:

https://www.votervoice.net/CSH/Campaigns/137566/Respond

Explore the Impact

See how the proposed NOFO changes could affect communities across the country:

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/naeh1302/viz/FY26NOFOImpactAnalysis/Dashboard1#1

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41:19

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16 June 2026

If the Economy Is Booming, Why Does Everything Feel Harder?

In our last episode, Work vs. Wealth: Why Homeownership Keeps Moving Out of Reach, we explored the widening gap between wealth and work, making homeownership increasingly difficult to attain.

In this follow-up conversation, Robin and Jaime zoom out to examine the broader economic forces behind that trend.

If inflation is under control, why do groceries, insurance, and housing feel so much more expensive? If the economy is booming, why do so many people feel like they're working harder just to stay in the same place?

To understand that disconnect, Robin and Jaime explore the concept of a K-shaped economy—a framework that helps explain why economic growth can feel very different depending on whether your income comes from assets or wages.

Along the way, they discuss the difference between asset inflation and real wealth, why economic indicators often feel disconnected from everyday experience, and how policies designed to stimulate the economy can produce very different outcomes depending on which side of the K you're on.

This episode provides the economic context behind the housing affordability challenges discussed in our previous episode—and helps explain why so many people feel like the numbers don't match reality.

Sources & Further Reading

Understanding the K-Shaped Economy

Income Inequality & Wealth Gaps

Housing, Homeownership & Housing Finance

50-Year Mortgages

Featured Resource: Gary Stevenson

Robin references the work of former interest rate trader and economic commentator Gary Stevenson throughout this episode.

Featured Resource: Gabriel Zucman

Economist Gabriel Zucman is one of the leading researchers on wealth inequality, taxation, and global wealth concentration.

New Zealand: Housing, Austerity & Social Policy

During the episode, Robin and Jaime discuss how other countries are grappling with many of the same challenges around housing affordability, inequality, and economic policy.

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09 June 2026

Work Vs. Wealth: Why Homeownership Keeps Moving Out of Reach

For decades, homeownership was one of the primary ways Americans built wealth. Today, even people with good jobs and steady incomes are finding it increasingly difficult to buy a home.

In this episode, Robin and Jaime explore how we got here. They unpack the housing boom and crash of 2008, the rise of mortgage-backed securities, and the role investors played in reshaping the housing market. Along the way, they examine a surprising reality of the pre-crash era: borrowers could often qualify for mortgages with little to no income verification and no down payment at all.

The conversation also challenges a common political talking point—that institutional investors are the primary reason homeownership is out of reach. While investors are certainly part of the story, the deeper issue lies in decades of policy decisions that have widened the gap between wealth and work.

As Robin puts it, opportunities created by wealth are growing exponentially, while opportunities created by work are shrinking. What does that mean for the future of homeownership—and is there still a path forward?

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we examine how we got here. In Part 2, we'll explore emerging models that could help more people build wealth and access homeownership in a changing economy.

Sources & Continued Reading

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

The 2008 Financial Crisis

K-Shaped Economy

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