Common Cause: Addressing the housing crisis

By Tony Sorrentino, Assistant Vice President in the Office of the Executive Vice President at University of Pennsylvania & Campus Compact Affordable Housing Fellow

This fall, Campus Compact released a Knowledge Hub that includes five one-hour meetings of a learning community I facilitated between February and June 2024 that specifically explore whether Anchor Institutions have a role to play in increasing the amount and quality of affordable housing in their local communities. It was an introductory look at the subject (and targeted toward non-housing professionals) that drew a group from higher education, city and regional planning, social policy, real estate development, and municipal and nonprofit management that met on Friday afternoons via video conference. No fees were charged or earned; participants gave willingly of their time.  We came together to debate, discuss, and learn about the creative, strategic, and practical solutions being applied to solving this critical issue facing society. While we may have been beaming in from across the US, a new network was formed. 

I have had the privilege of working at the University of Pennsylvania since 2000 at a unique intersection of public affairs and planning. Penn has been deeply engaged in community development for decades, contributing to the Anchor Institution movement. Over decades of steady investments and engagement, I have seen the areas of focus shift because cities and communities change. And as urbanization accelerates and housing costs rise, the importance of ensuring access to housing that is affordable, whether it be a rental unit or a home to purchase, is a social determinant of health and economic stability and therefore an issue of public policy.  A significant challenge to communities around the world is the supply of housing that is affordable. The Anchor Institution does not get to choose which social challenge exists around its campus; nor is it an agent of public policy. But it can choose how it responds to that challenge. And because access to housing which is affordable is a social determinant of health and economic stability it is an issue of issue of public policy.  

Our cohort met and engaged with people from academia, community and economic development, foundations, and real estate development. Insights were gained about how the Anchor Institution could think about the topic at a scale that is appropriate for their community, institutional, and local economy.  As we learned about how affordable housing is delivered—either by the public sector, private sector, or public-private partnerships—and how to conduct quantitative analysis about the socioeconomic status of local communities, we returned repeatedly to the question of why: Why would an anchor get involved in supporting affordable housing? The answer is the Anchor Institution movement has been built upon the concept that campuses are not the neighborhood, but a neighbor among neighbors. No two campuses are the same and the real estate around them fluctuates in price as any other commodity would between supply and demand. When the cost of housing consumes a disproportionate share of household income, it can lead to financial stress and limit spending on other essential services. Anchor Institutions have a range of institutional resources that can be leveraged to contribute to the quality of the place they call home—and in that way contribute to its economic stability and growth. 

A hallmark of the Anchor Institution movement is community partnerships resulting in increased economic opportunity, enhanced resources for local K-12 education providers, and greater support in public health, safety, and wellness. Anchors are still focused on these issues as the challenge of housing grows. But, because these issues are inexorably connected, they can be potentially addressed through a partnership of the public sector, local community infrastructure, and Anchor Institutions to address housing needs. We have years of evidence that such an approach can deliver quality results

Affordable housing efforts in practice

Read these stories from across the country that illustrate the different ways institutions and students are helping to increase housing affordability and accessibility.