Solutions
Defending and Advancing Climate Justice Policies
Our in-depth review of Project 2025 and campaign promises made by the President and Congressional members cause concern that fundamental environmental protections, investments in climate solutions, and support for communities devastated by climate change will likely be eliminated or significantly rolled back. At the state, local, and grassroots levels, many options remain available to address…
Increasing Energy Efficiency, Lowering Costs, and Resolving Housing Challenges for Lower-Income People in Michigan
Just Solutions, along with many of our partners, urges the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require that the home mortgages they back meet updated energy efficiency standards. As the FHFA oversees the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, such action would bring about 70% of mortgages for new homes in the U.S.…
Building Efficiency Standards Are Foundational For Broad-Based Community Resilience
Just Solutions, along with many of our partners, urges the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require that the home mortgages they back meet updated energy efficiency standards. As the FHFA oversees the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, such action would bring about 70% of mortgages for new homes in the U.S.…
Energy-Efficient Mortgages: A Unique Opportunity for Environmental Justice
Just Solutions, along with many of our partners, urges the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require that the home mortgages they back meet updated energy efficiency standards. As the FHFA oversees the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, such action would bring about 70% of mortgages for new homes in the U.S.…
Utility & Utility Justice
Keyword/Term: Utility & Utility Justice Definition: An electric utility is a publicly regulated entity that engages in the distribution and delivery of electric energy for the public, as well as electricity generation in some states. Utilities generally operate as regulated monopolies with exclusive access to customers in specific geographic areas. Utility justice is a grassroots…
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…
Vulnerabilities to Climate Change in Frontline Communities: Opportunities and Shortcomings
In 2023, Just Solutions published “The Perfect Storm of Extraction, Poverty, and Climate Change,” examining the impact of policies on six frontline communities facing economic, health, and environmental challenges. The report highlights how systemic racism and resource deprivation have led to these conditions, and it evaluates how the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and 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…
