I'm in the DC Inclusionary Zoning orientation, a two-hour program run by Housing Counseling Services (a nonprofit) that anyone who wants to apply for IZ rentals must complete.

Slides: housingetc.org/wp-content/upl…

Live-tweeting 🧵 HCS started by saying you have to be at the Zoom and answer questions correctly to get certified. They use some service from Zoom checking that people are in the Zoom window, and will disqualify people who aren't present.

Remember when 40% of Americans couldn't cover a $400 emergency expense with cash?

That was 2017. Today, it's down to 32%, from 50% in 2013.
federalreserve.gov/consumerscommu… To clarify, since the Fed reports the inverse of the popular 40% stat, household balance sheets are *improving*

For #GivingTuesday I finally put my first book chapter online, along with some reflections in the year since I wrote it. I wouldn't have put it this way at the time, but I believe tax and benefit policy is a promising cause area for effective altruists. ubicenter.org/mortality-exis… My overall thesis is:
* Poverty increases mortality and leading indicators of mortality
* Poverty destabilizes individuals & society, increasing existential risk
* UBI > alternative antipoverty policies

I also posted this to the @Effect_Altruism forum. forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Z8GCPjoy…

Imagine for a moment: You've lost your job and decide to apply for SNAP (food stamps) to feed your family. You go to the county human services agency for your qualification interview. The waiting room is filled with homeless people and you worry about your life trajectory. 1/ You answer questions about your finances, employment, expenses, assets, and family structure. You see signage warning about jail time for exchanging SNAP for cash. You sign up for workfare so you don't lose benefits after 3 months. You're approved! 2/