The slow economic recovery and high unemployment rates have created a surge in full-time enrollment among vocational schools and community colleges across the United States, according to research from the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Center for Education Statistics.

Drug-related and criminal activity has long been associated with low-income housing in the public mind. While drug dealing also takes place in conventional housing sites, most drug dealers and gangs target low-income developments to push their drugs to an already fragile population, say crime prevention specialists Chuck Desrosiers and Moses Saygbe. They point out that there are several factors that make certain housing sites more attractive to criminals:

Every tax credit site has a host of criteria for leasing, compliance, and dealing with households. Without a formal plan that spells out how to apply the appropriate policies and procedures in a given situation, the staff often is left to their own devices. This can lead to uninformed and inconsistent decisions, and potential mistakes that can leave the site's owner exposed to lawsuits and loss of tax credits.

Residents of multiunit housing sites can find that loving thy neighbor isn't always that easy. Every site owner or manager has had to deal with residents’ complaints about their neighbors at some point. Loud music, unruly kids, noisy pets, cooking odors—no matter what the issue, friction between households can quickly escalate into disruptive behavior if it is not dealt with directly.

Tax credit owners are getting better at complying with the Fair Housing Act's accessibility guidelines in their newly constructed housing projects. However, many who receive federal funding still fail to ensure that they have the appropriate percentage of accessible units to meet the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Many low-income housing projects have had to deal with community opposition to their site—also known as NIMBYism (“not in my backyard”). It has been a longtime battle for affordable housing proponents, but the current economic crisis may provide the needed leverage for tax credit sites to change lingering stereotypes about affordable housing. Why now? The length and severity of the recession has brought about a higher level of acceptance among local co...

In warmer weather, many residents find it hard to resist the temptation to use their fire escapes for recreation, often filling them with grills, chairs, plants, and the like. But for most sites, dealing with clutter or debris that obscures common areas is an ongoing, rather than seasonal, problem. Residents' belongings frequently spill out into public hallways, stairwells, and breezeways, which can create a fire or safety hazard, downgrade the appearance of the pro...

Social networking is growing at an exponential rate. According to a report by technology and market research firm Forrester Research, 55.6 million U.S. adults visited social networking sites in 2009, double the number of users reported in 2007.

Becoming a pet-friendly site can be a great way to increase your pool of prospective residents and keep them longer once you find them. Responsible pet owners generally are also responsible tenants, and they appreciate sites that welcome Fido and Fluffy. In fact, research by FIREPAW, the Foundation for Interdisciplinary Research and Education Promoting Animal Welfare, found that pet owners in pet-friendly housing stay an average of 46 months, compared to 18 months for r...

There is a growing consciousness among low-income housing developers, site owners, and managers of the health, environmental, and cost advantages associated with green building practices. Owners and developers are increasingly employing green strategies to ensure that newly constructed and renovated housing projects are designed and built using green systems and materials.