Cushing Niles Dolbeare (June 25, 1926 – March 17, 2005) was one of the leading experts on federal housing policy and low

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. For ...

housing in the

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. She designed the

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for ''Out of Reach'', the widely cited annual report of the

National Low Income Housing Coalition The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending America's affordable housing crisis. It aims to expand and preserve housing for people with extremely low incomes. NLIHC provides current informat ...

(NLIHC) on the gap between housing costs and wages of low income people. She was also known for her analysis of federal housing subsidies, which document the disparity between the cost of tax-based subsidies that benefit homeowners and direct spending on housing assistance for low income households. Dolbeare began the National Low Income Housing Coalition in 1974 when she organized the Ad Hoc Low Income Housing Coalition in response to the

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’s moratorium on federal housing programs. She served as NLIHC’s Executive Director from 1977 to 1984 and from 1993 to 1994. She remained active with NLIHC as a researcher, policy analyst, and board member until her death. Dolbeare was an adviser and friend to several Secretaries of

Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...

(HUD). In 1995, Jason DeParle wrote in ''

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'' that she was the “dean” of the Washington Corps of housing advocates. In 2002, she was awarded the 8th Annual

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in the Human Condition. Dolbeare worked with housing organizations past her retirement; she delivered a speech in

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nine days before her death. Dolbeare died of cancer on March 17, 2005 at her home.For announcement of death, see NLIHC March 18, 200
newsletter
. In 2007 the National Low Income Housing Coalition created the Cushing Niles Dolbeare Media Awards, in honor of Dolbeare. The awards are presented yearly to print journalists who "do an exemplary job of illuminating the affordable housing crisis in the United States."

References

{{Authority control American activists Swarthmore College alumni 1926 births 2005 deaths