Policy Brief
At The Crossroads of Climate and Housing Justice: Field Scan and Needs Assessment
Over the last few years, there have been significant investments to address climate change and improve U.S. infrastructure, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021. Although historic in their reach, the laws are insufficient to meet the climate justice and housing needs of…
Delivering Climate Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities: Lessons Learned from Social Policy
Increasing the capacity of frontline communities – households with low income and families who are most affected by climate change – to meet the current and future challenges brought about by climate change will require a significant future expansion of assistance programs and resources. There are decades worth of lessons to be learned from the…
Housing & Climate Equity: An analysis on climate and housing policies that benefit environmental justice communities and low-income tenants
Just Solutions’ latest brief analyzes two Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) programs that provide targeted investments in housing, the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) and Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This brief also examines four innovative model policies from California, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania that are filling the…
US Treasury Report identifies climate impact on household finances
Black and Latine adults are less able to pay their bills and are more impacted by climate disasters. Living paycheck to paycheck makes any disruptions caused by climate change far more devastating. Efforts to consider vulnerability in the Treasury’s report are missing important contexts, like the barriers for marginalized low-income communities to build generational wealth…
Economic Drivers of Climate Vulnerability and Resilience
Using a case study approach in six frontline communities, Just Solutions has developed a Prioritizing Frontline Communities Framework that assesses the “pre-existing” economic, health, and infrastructure conditions that affect the capacity of these communities to cope with, prepare for, and respond to climate change and to participate equitably in the transition to a clean energy…
The Road to Equity: Concerns and Analysis of RUC Pricing Mechanisms
As states, regions, and cities aim to transition to a clean energy future, many search for new transportation strategies and funding mechanisms. Equity and tax progressivity considerations need to be a part of any road pricing conversation, to transform the way regions raise revenue for transportation and ensure equitable and progressive transportation funding during the…
Just Solutions Collective Analysis of FEMA Equity Plan
Primary Author: Cristina Muñoz De La Torre In this brief, we cover what is in FEMA’s Equity Plan, whether the plan will achieve equity for frontline communities, and we identify recommendations for advocates. Since the publication of Equity Action Plans from multiple federal agencies in April 2022 in response to Biden’s Executive Order 13985, many…
