Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Daniel Teles
Addressing housing insecurity post-disaster: Findings from the Back@Home Florence evaluation
Robert T: Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5121 et seq., 1988. Patton N, Maxwell NN: Plugging the gaps: Recommendations for HUD’s RUSH program. National Low Income Housing Coalition. 2023: 20. Available at https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/plugging-gap-report.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2025.
Private Investment Impacts of Economic Development Administration Construction Grants
The US Economic Development Administration (EDA) invests in economic development projects throughout the country to promote innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth. This brief summarizes the local impacts of EDA’s construction projects on private investment at both the census tract and county levels.
Financing Small Business Growth with Economic Development Administration Revolving Loan Funds
The US Economic Development Administration (EDA) provides grants to establish or recapitalize revolving loan funds (RLFs)—self-replenishing pools of money from which operators make loans to small businesses. This report presents the results of a study of EDA’s RLF program and provides recommendations for how EDA can orient RLFs toward the future. Small businesses provide enormous benefits to the US economy, creating most new jobs and leading in innovation.
An Overview of the Rent Reporting Landscape for State and Local Policymakers
Rent reporting—the practice of providing data on rent payments to at least one of the three major consumer credit bureaus—has grown substantially over the last decade. State and local policy can play a role in expanding access to rent reporting as a credit-building tool for low- and moderate-income renters and in protecting renters from the potential risks of rent reporting.
The Rise of Rent Reporting as a Credit-Building Tool
Rent reporting is a process whereby landlords or property management companies provide data on tenants’ rental payments to at least one of the three major consumer credit bureaus. This gives renters an opportunity to demonstrate their credit worthiness by documenting on-time rent payments. To understand how rent reporting is growing in the US, we examined rent reporting data from 2020 to 2024 for all US states.
Closing Racial Income, Housing, and Education Gaps Benefits Local Economies
Amid national economic uncertainty, communities across the US are looking for ways to spur local growth. Often, equity and growth are treated as competing goals. But our new research on Fairfield County, Connecticut, shows this isn’t true. Equity isn’t just a moral goal; it’s an economic growth strategy. Our recent report shows that closing racial and ethnic income gaps in the county could add $15.6 billion to the local economy.
Evaluating Rent Reporting as a Pathway to Build Credit
In the first randomized study of rent reporting—the inclusion of housing rental payments in credit data—we show that this practice can help people get a credit score for the first time or improve their score. It is exceedingly difficult to get by in the US economy without participating in the credit system.
Rent Reporting as a Pathway to Credit Building
It is exceedingly difficult to get by in the US economy without participating in the credit system. Rent reporting—providing data on tenant rental payments to at least one of the major consumer credit bureaus—has seen significant growth in recent years. The major credit scoring companies have begun adjusting scoring algorithms to include reported rental payments.
Investing in Youth through Direct Cash Transfers
Numerous studies have found that conditional and unconditional cash transfers have positive impacts on schooling, nutrition, and employment outcomes and are associated with reductions in criminal activity, lower rates of income volatility, lower rates of food insecurity, and improved well-being. However, there remain many questions about how cash transfers work, which types work better in which settings, and whether giving funds directly to youth to prevent violence exposure can be successful.
The Upside-Growth, Potential, and the Future of Fairfield County, Connecticut
In this report, we describe the potential economic benefits of closing Blackand Latino racial gaps in income, education, and housing in the Fairfield County area of Connecticut. Historical and systemic discrimination in the United States has deeply entrenched racial and ethnic inequities across critical areas, such as wealth accumulation, education, and homeownership. Increasing racial equity can benefit both individuals and communities.
Long-Term Evaluation of the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program
Urban Alliance is a national nonprofit that partners with schools, employers, governments, and philanthropies to provide skills training, mentoring, and paid internships to high school students. Urban Alliance’s flagship program, the High School Internship Program, targets high school seniors who are at risk of disconnecting from economically self-sufficient pathways.
Evaluating the Expansion and Impacts of Rent Reporting
Rent reporting—providing data on tenants’ rent payments to at least one of the major consumer credit bureaus—can help people with low credit scores or no scores build a stronger credit profile. Credit scores can dictate access to financial products, housing, and employment and often prevent people with low credit scores or no score at all from accessing financial products, easily finding housing or employment, and receiving reasonable interest rates.
Economic Development Administration Programs and Project Types
The US Economic Development Administration (EDA) promotes economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness among regional markets in the US. Through eight programs, EDA funds planning grants, technical assistance, large-scale construction projects, revolving small-business loan funds, and various other economic development activities. This brief analyzes EDA data from 2010 to 2019 to paint a broad picture of the agency’s programs and grantmaking activities.
History and Programmatic Overview of the Economic Development Administration
Established in 1965, the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) supports regional economic development through investments in areas such as planning, infrastructure, small-business lending, and technical assistance to state and local governments and nonprofit organizations. This brief describes the history of EDA and contextualizes its approach to economic development. We first describe EDA’s origins and objectives and examine changes in its funding.
State and Local Antidiscrimination Laws Could Help Renters Access Emergency Rental Assistance and Keep Their Homes
By late July, state and local government agencies had only distributed 11 percent of almost $50 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA) funding, but data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey show that by late August, 15 percent of renters reported being behind on their rent. The recent end of the federal eviction moratorium puts renters who are behind on their rent at further risk of housing instability and eviction.
Is the New Markets Tax Credit Program Helping Low-Income Neighborhoods?
By Brett Theodos, Christina Plerhoples Stacy and Daniel Teles Connecting state and local government leaders As cities look to recover equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers from both sides of the aisle are looking to place-based programs like the New Markets Tax Credit Program and Opportunity Zones to regrow local economies and improve quality of life in low-income neighborhoods.
Housing and Land Use Implications of Split-Roll Property Tax Reform in California
An initiative on the California state ballot this November would change the way local governments assess the value of commercial and industrial properties, aiming to create a fairer property tax system and raise badly needed revenue. But if passed, will the proposed tax system exacerbate California's extreme housing shortage, as some of the initiative's opponents argue?
General Mills Brings Pollinator Conservation, Education to Brazil
Did you know that bee extinction could end life on earth? Without pollination from bees, the world’s food production would be completely compromised and negatively impact the ecosystem, agriculture and food production for humans.
How Disasters Wreak Havoc on Financial Health and What We Can Do about It
As a clam and oyster fisherman in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jim Knight depends on the weather for a living. But when Hurricane Florence struck last year, he was out of work for months. Knight told WECT News that the relief money he recently received from the state government won’t cover his losses, but “it’s better than nothing.” Natural disasters like Hurricane Florence lead to broad, and often substantial, negative impacts on financial health.
How better data can inform decisions and improve disaster recovery
Charlie Duncan is the research director for Texas Housers. Amelia Adams is an equity analyst for the same organization. Today marks the start of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, which is predicted to be slightly above average in the number and intensity of storms. But we’re still recovering from last year’s disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, as well as California’s Tubbs and Thomas fires.
Community Foundations Week highlights the need for more research into these growing institutions
This week marks Community Foundations Week, when community foundations across the country promote their presence and accomplishments. Community foundations have received billions of dollars in donations and are growing rapidly in size and number. If you aren’t paying attention to them, now is a good time to start. What are community foundations?
Community Foundation Week highlights the need for more research into these growing institutions
This week marks Community Foundation Week, when community foundations across the country promote their presence and accomplishments. Community foundations have received billions of dollars in donations and are growing rapidly in size and number. If you aren’t paying attention to them, now is a good time to start. What are community foundations?
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Daniel
Contact Daniel, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack