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Solving America's Problems

Jerremy Alexander Newsome & Dave Conley

America's Opportunities: From Conversation to Candidacy.

Solving America's Problems is a weekly podcast that turns real conversations about America's toughest issues into a movement, so the best and brightest serve in government, not chase Wall Street or Silicon Valley. It's for anyone who wants a serious hour on the country's problems without a team jersey.

Hosted by Jerremy Alexander Newsome (co-host and candidate) and Dave Conley (co-host and producer). Guests include authors, academics, presidential advisors, activists, CEOs and everyday people with lived experience. Solving America's Problems is about everyone.

Topics: the economy and the Fed, housing and homelessness, education and school safety, immigration, AI and work, the national debt.

Jerremy is running for office. The movement comes first; the campaign follows. Party: undetermined. Self-funded. No sponsors. No party.

Start here: https://solvingamericasproblems.com

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#281
November 5 · 56 min
What Eight Episodes Taught Us About the Housing Crisis (Full)
Home prices have outrun paychecks for about two decades, and after eight episodes Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley still disagree on whether a regular earner can buy. Jerremy says the deal is gone in big-city cores, but a $315,000 two-bed condo can still work, and Dave says buying is difficult but possible if you skip the agent and talk to the lenders. The Wall Street villain didn't survive the interviews: guests put Wall Street banks at around 3% of ownership, and both lenders said easier loans would only raise prices. Dave calls the homeowner tax break welfare for the top fifth, and Jerremy asks whether property taxes should exist at all. They agree the gap is education: nobody is taught how mortgages, PMI or property taxes work. They close on fixes, from missing-middle housing to showing up at your city's next rezoning vote. Timestamps: (00:00) The fight up front – Can a regular earner still buy a home? (00:59) Prices outran income – Two decades of paychecks falling behind house prices (07:35) Manhattan for $120,000 – Why that deal is never coming back (13:23) Prices left paychecks behind – The one point nobody disputes (17:02) The outside villain – Everyone wanted Wall Street to be the bad guy (18:03) About 3% and under 11% – What the guests said Wall Street owns (24:34) Easier loans, higher prices – What both lenders told the hosts (29:43) Should property taxes exist? – You pay off the house, and keep paying (36:45) $500,000 tax-free – The home-sale rule most people never hear about (38:57) Study vs. search – Why nobody learns how housing works (45:29) What actually fixes it – Cash reserves, real numbers, legal housing types (51:46) Do this one thing – Find your city's next rezoning vote 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#280
November 4 · 17 min
Nobody Teaches You How Housing Works
Jerremy Alexander Newsome says the real barrier is that school teaches us to study, not to search. Dave Conley asks why people with the answer to anything in their pocket still don't learn how housing works. Jerremy tells how he got turned down at a Kroger checkout buying chicken and broccoli, then sat down and asked himself why he was so broke. His advice for buyers: rent while you build a cash cushion, question what PMI is really protecting, and get real numbers from a lender. Dave adds the bigger moves: smaller lots and missing-middle housing, mortgages you can take with you when you move, and homes built in factories. Then each host gives one thing to do this week. Timestamps: (00:00) Answers in your pocket – So what stops people from learning this? (01:01) Taught to memorize – Why searching feels like cheating in school (02:34) Broke at a Kroger – The question that changed Jerremy's money life (04:02) Study vs. search – The difference Jerremy says matters most (06:44) Rent while you save – Don't buy without a cash cushion (07:09) Who PMI protects – Private mortgage insurance and the banks (08:25) Legalize more housing – Smaller lots, missing middle, fewer density caps (09:16) Portable mortgages – A loan that moves with you, not the house (13:02) Show up and say yes – Find your city's next rezoning vote (13:28) Vote and read – Jerremy's homework for the week Watch this part on YouTube: YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#279
November 3 · 21 min
Wall Street Isn't Why Housing Costs So Much
The Wall Street villain fell apart in every interview: guests put Wall Street banks at around 3% of ownership, and the 50 largest owners combined hold under 11%. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley say big money stays out of New York and LA because the margins are too thin there. Both lenders they talked to said credit is available, and that easier qualifying would just add bidders and raise prices. Dave calls the homeowner tax break welfare for the top fifth, and says cutting property taxes shifts the bill onto young families. Jerremy asks whether we should pay property taxes at all, and points out that a married couple can sell their home with up to $500,000 of profit tax-free. Timestamps: (00:00) The outside villain – Everyone wanted Wall Street to be the bad guy (01:01) About 3% and under 11% – What the guests said Wall Street owns (01:32) Margins too thin – Why big money skips New York and LA (02:50) Not lenders, not Wall Street – Jerremy lands on supply instead (03:27) Neighbors say no – Zoning vetoes keep showing up as blockers (07:32) Easier loans, higher prices – What both lenders told the hosts (11:39) Welfare for owners – Dave on the homeowner tax break (12:41) Should property taxes exist? – You pay off the house, and keep paying (13:50) A tax revolt – Dave on who pays when property taxes go (19:43) $500,000 tax-free – The home-sale rule most people never hear about Watch this part on YouTube: YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#278
November 2 · 17 min
Can a Regular Paycheck Still Buy a Home?
Home prices have outrun income for about two decades, and Jerremy Alexander Newsome says nobody can dispute that prices left paychecks behind. Dave Conley still thinks a regular earner can buy, and this is where the two of them disagree after eight episodes. Jerremy says a home in downtown Manhattan for $120,000 is gone for good, but a two-bed, two-bath condo for about $315,000 can work for a young family. He also blames adjustable-rate teaser rates that nobody explained to the people who signed. Dave says buying went from easy to difficult but still possible: skip the real estate agent, talk to the brokers and lenders, and there are programs even for the self-employed or people with credit problems. Timestamps: (00:00) The fight up front – Can a regular earner still buy a home? (00:59) Prices outran income – Two decades of paychecks falling behind house prices (02:28) The new American dream – Jerremy says it's peace, not a house (07:35) Manhattan for $120,000 – Why that deal is never coming back (10:36) Where the hosts disagree – Both of these things are still true (12:12) The $315,000 two-two – What a young family can actually buy (12:34) Teaser rates – What happens when the adjustable rate kicks in (14:17) It used to be easy – Rules got thrown out, then 2008 hit (15:02) Skip your agent – Why Dave says to talk to brokers instead Watch this part on YouTube: YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#277
October 29 · 51 min
Ben Allgeyer: What Families Facing Foreclosure Should Know (Full)
The typical first-time buyer is now 40 years old, and foreclosures are climbing again. Ben Allgeyer lost a million dollars in about 18 months and rebuilt by knocking on the doors of homeowners facing foreclosure. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that people who bought in 2019 and 2020 have almost no equity, that a short sale hurts credit far less than a foreclosure, and that one lender added about $60,000 in fees in a year and a half. His rule for buyers: have twice your down payment in the bank first, or keep renting. He says most agents don't earn their commission, and county rules keep $200,000 starter homes from getting built. It ends with a lightning round and the hosts' own debrief. Timestamps: (00:00) The 40-year-old first buyer – Prices ran away from paychecks, and foreclosures are back (01:12) A million gone in 18 months – A partner buyout, a lawsuit and lost value (03:24) Frozen by football ads – Why a 28-year-old with savings keeps waiting (08:13) The fix starts with cash – Stop buying a car with your first check (20:29) Little equity left – Why today's foreclosure sellers walk away with almost nothing (22:04) Foreclosure vs. short sale – A $230,000 payoff on a $130,000 house (28:20) $60,000 in fees – Eighteen months of lender penalties on one house (36:34) Lightning round – Wall Street, bad advice and the two-X rule (39:18) Do agents earn it? – One listing cost a foreclosure two weeks (45:53) The hosts' debrief – Rising foreclosures and why elections hurt housing Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#276
October 28 · 15 min
Most Real Estate Agents Don't Earn Their Commission
Institutional funds buy less than 5% of homes, but the belief that Wall Street buys everything still convinces young people they can't afford one. Ben Allgeyer says most real estate agents don't earn their commission, and tells the story of an agent who listed a foreclosure without asking about a $230,000 payoff, costing the owner two weeks he didn't have. His one number for a 25-year-old: two X, twice your down payment in the bank before you buy. He says licensing classes in Missouri and Kansas hand out the test answers and teach nothing about negotiation or marketing. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley close with their own debrief on rising foreclosures, adjustable-rate mortgages and why elections are bad for housing. Timestamps: (00:00) Lightning round – Is Wall Street why young people can't buy? (01:15) The worst buyer advice – It usually comes from real estate agents (02:11) The two-X rule – The cash you need before buying a house (02:59) Do agents earn it? – One listing cost a foreclosure two weeks (06:53) A licensing joke – The class hands out the test answers (07:38) The costliest guru lesson – You haven't earned the right to delegate (09:34) The hosts' debrief – Rising foreclosures and why elections hurt housing Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#275
October 27 · 16 min
Foreclosures Are Back, and Most Owners Have No Equity Left
People who bought in 2019 and 2020 are now in foreclosure with almost no equity, and many walk away with $5,000 to $20,000 at most. Ben Allgeyer explains the difference between a foreclosure and a short sale, including one he's negotiating with a $230,000 payoff on a house worth about $130,000. He says one lender's fees added about $60,000 in a year and a half on a $180,000 house. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask what stops a $200,000 starter home in Kansas City, and he points to land costs and county rules that counties have no reason to fix. His advice if you're facing foreclosure: stop hiding and ask for help while you still have options. Timestamps: (00:00) Little equity left – Why today's foreclosure sellers walk away with almost nothing (01:48) Foreclosure vs. short sale – A $230,000 payoff on a $130,000 house (03:19) The $200,000 starter home – What stops builders in Kansas City (06:42) Missouri's new wholesaling law – A 14-day wait before any offer (08:03) $60,000 in fees – Eighteen months of lender penalties on one house (09:00) Facing foreclosure Monday? – Pull your head out of the sand (13:49) Where affordable housing went – County rules stalled his building plans (15:39) "They don't care" – Why counties don't push affordable housing Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#274
October 26 · 20 min
He Lost $1 Million in 18 Months Flipping Houses
A real estate investor lost a million dollars in about 18 months, starting with a partner he brought on way too early. Ben Allgeyer tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley why a 28-year-old with a good job and savings still won't buy: fear, fed by a season of political ads during football games. If you don't have a pile of cash beyond the down payment, he says, keep renting. He says the fix starts with people learning to keep cash instead of spending their first big check on a car. He also explains where his deals come from now and why he's turning shipping containers into self-storage in a town of 600. Timestamps: (00:00) The 40-year-old first buyer – Prices ran away from paychecks, and foreclosures are back (01:12) A million gone in 18 months – A partner buyout, a lawsuit and lost value (03:24) Frozen by football ads – Why a 28-year-old with savings keeps waiting (04:53) Rent until you're cash-heavy – A $4,000 septic line shows why (08:13) The fix starts with cash – Stop buying a car with your first check (12:40) Where the deals come from – A pay-per-lead partner and a profit split (18:29) Shipping container storage – Up to 160 units on two acres Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
October 12 · 19 min
Russian Diesel, 7.4% Mortgages, and Foreclosures Up 50%
Freddie Mac's 30-year average rate rose to 7.4% last week, up from 6.3% a year ago, which Jerremy Alexander Newsome says adds $294 a month on a $400,000 loan. He and Dave Conley start with Russia, which is about to sell America diesel, with a first load that covers less than two hours of the world's demand. Jerremy says SpaceX buying airwaves sent the three biggest phone companies down as much as 13% by close, then walks the charts on Walmart, Dollar General and Nike, down 80% from its highs. Dave puts the 10-year at 5.24% and argues the Fed has to find new tools for supply-side inflation. Jerremy says foreclosures are up about 50% from last year and sees openings for buyers with cash. Timestamps: (00:00) Flash floods hit Las Vegas – three feet of water downtown (01:26) Russia sells America diesel – first load covers under two hours of demand (02:45) Friendly but not friends – Dave on buying from countries we dislike (03:41) "After the midterms" – the administration's answer on fuel prices (04:03) SpaceX buys airwaves – phone carriers fall as much as 13% (04:43) American Tower up 15% – while AT&T and Verizon get scorched (05:10) $245 a month – what Jerremy pays for three phone lines (06:54) Walmart and Dollar General – discount brands in a squeezed consumer market (09:35) Nike down 80% – and why Ferrari is a different story (11:14) The 10-year at 5.24% – Dave on oil, the Fed and supply-side inflation (13:25) Mortgage rates hit 7.4% – $294 more a month on $400,000 (14:06) 90% of early payments – go to interest, not principal (17:01) Foreclosures up 50% – Jerremy sees openings for buyers with cash (17:36) Collars and stop losses – Dave on protecting your downside 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
October 5 · 19 min
29,000 Jobs, 7.28% Mortgages, and a Stock Market That Won't Quit
The economy added 29,000 jobs against 90,000 expected, and the Nasdaq is still at all-time highs. Jerremy Alexander Newsome says the 10-year Treasury rose a fifth straight week to 5.277%, pushing the 30-year mortgage to 7.28%, the highest since 2023, and he thinks double-digit mortgage rates could land before the next president's term. Dave Conley calls it demand destruction: the Fed squeezes everyone while Congress, which holds the power of the purse, sits it out, and higher rates do nothing about diesel or $6.50 gas in Las Vegas. Jerremy walks the charts on NVIDIA at record highs, Meta up 41% since August, Tesla still down 17% for the year, and Bitcoin with $89,000 in sight. Dave closes on October surprise season, and Jerremy on hedges, cash and staying off margin. Timestamps: (00:00) 29,000 jobs against 90,000 expected – and Wall Street parties anyway (00:34) A war nobody has called a war – and Congress never approved it (02:25) The 10-year hits 5.277% – 30-year mortgages climb to 7.28% (02:49) Double-digit mortgage rates – before the next president's term? (03:57) Congress holds the power of the purse – and sits it out (05:44) The Fed's lever can't touch fuel – $6.50 gas in Las Vegas (07:01) Nike down 90% – why global brands are getting demolished (07:37) Dave's thesis – all the money flows to AI and crypto (09:52) NVIDIA at record highs – one company propping up the market (11:35) Meta up 41% since August – and a $300 billion buyback (12:59) Buybacks used to be off-limits – growth or just finance? (13:39) Tesla's down 17% this year – Jerremy's path back to flat (15:35) Bitcoin at $80,000 is still buyable – $89,000 within weeks (16:13) October surprise season – a 90-day window where anything happens (17:55) Hedges, cash and no margin – Jerremy's playbook at all-time highs 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#273
October 1 · 1 hr 8 min
Christopher Serkin: Why Zoning Reform Alone Won't Fix Housing (Full)
Nashville approved every one of roughly 200 rezoning requests over two years, added about 75,000 housing units in a decade, and is still net less dense than it was 25 years ago. Christopher Serkin uses that to argue looser zoning alone won't deliver affordability, and that homeowners associations would fill the void if zoning vanished. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley press him on Wall Street, the 2008 crash and whether housing can be both affordable and a good investment. He says it can't. He also explains why the left and right agreeing on zoning makes him nervous, and why a state overriding local control feels different in Tennessee than in California. It ends with a lightning round and the hosts' own debrief. Timestamps: (00:00) Forty-year-old first buyers – Home prices have outrun paychecks for a decade (05:09) The ski mountain buyout – A town of 900 blocks development permanently (10:06) Nashville said yes – Every request approved, yet the city got less dense (18:04) Wall Street's real role – He admits he can't prove how much (25:40) Not both – Affordable and a good investment can't coexist (46:53) The liberal-tarian consensus – Left and right agree, and it worries him (61:35) The hosts' debrief – Homeownership as a home, not an investment thesis 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#272
September 30 · 23 min
Who Should Decide How Fast Your Neighborhood Changes?
For roughly the first 85 to 90 years of zoning, the left and right split on it. Now they agree it's the problem. Christopher Serkin says that convergence makes him nervous, and he calls it the liberal-tarian consensus. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask who should decide how fast a neighborhood changes. He says it depends on the market, and that a state overriding local control feels very different in Tennessee than in California or New York. He gets heavy pushback when he asks for government to build housing itself, and he doesn't trust a less regulated market to deliver affordability. Looking twenty years out, he pictures cheaper building costs, more multifamily housing and a move away from the suburban ideal the federal government pushed in the 1930s and 1940s. The lightning round and the hosts' own debrief close it out. Timestamps: (00:00) Who decides? – The question under every zoning fight, asked point blank (01:18) Tennessee versus New York – Why state takeovers of local zoning feel so different (02:24) The liberal-tarian consensus – Left and right agree, and it worries him (07:39) Twenty years out – The housing future he wants people to inherit (11:05) Good density, dumb density – A conference line that stuck with him (17:07) The hosts' debrief – Homeownership as a home, not an investment thesis 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#271
September 29 · 19 min
Housing Can't Be Both Affordable and a Good Investment
Housing can't be both affordable and a good investment. Christopher Serkin says that tension is the lesson the country forgot after 2008, when so many recent buyers lost everything. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask whether zoning is really the whole story. He says it's one problem among several, and that fixing only zoning could make outcomes worse in many markets. He also argues home prices are one piece of a wider rise in asset prices, a return to capital instead of labor. Jerremy asks whether it's so bad if people rent and put their money in the stock market, and Christopher explains why rent and ownership costs stay linked. Timestamps: (00:00) The two-goal trap – Affordable and a great investment can't both happen (01:22) What 2008 taught – Scholars questioned homeownership as the goal for most people (07:28) A 40% price crash – Would anyone blame zoning reform for it? (08:42) Asset prices everywhere – Stocks, tuition and homes all inflated together (09:59) Is renting so bad? – Jerremy asks if owning is overrated (15:36) The one law – Dave asks what single change he'd make tomorrow 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#270
September 28 · 25 min
Nashville Approved Every Rezoning Request. Prices Exploded Anyway
Nashville approved every one of roughly 200 rezoning requests over two years and added about 75,000 housing units in a decade, and it is still net less dense than it was 25 years ago. Christopher Serkin says that's why he doubts looser zoning alone delivers affordability. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask what fills the gap if zoning disappears, and he says homeowners associations would, which he calls worse in every dimension. He also tells the story of his mother, a weaver in a Vermont town of 900, who helped the town buy a defunct ski mountain and lock it up with conservation easements. On Wall Street, he says he can't prove how much private equity moves prices, but his phone rang every few days with offers to buy his house. Timestamps: (00:00) Forty-year-old first buyers – Home prices have outrun paychecks for a decade (05:08) The ski mountain buyout – A town of 900 blocks development permanently (10:05) Nashville said yes – Every request approved, yet the city got less dense (15:07) Public zoning or HOAs – What fills the gap if zoning vanishes tomorrow (18:03) Wall Street's real role – He admits he can't prove how much (21:04) The unsolicited offers – Private equity kept calling to buy his house 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#269
September 24 · 1 hr 10 min
Gene Eidelman Is 3D-Printing America Out of a Housing Crisis (Full)
In 1976, homes under 1,400 square feet made up a third of new construction; by 2020, that number was 7%. Gene Eidelman sold $100 million in real estate within three years of arriving as a refugee, then built Azure Printed Homes, which 3D-prints houses from recycled plastic in weeks instead of months. He details the zoning fights blocking affordable manufactured homes, wildfire data showing 2008-code houses survived 80% of the time versus 80% destroyed before it, and how LA could house its homeless for under $100,000 each instead of a million. Jerremy and Dave press him on financing, factory quality control, and how his company stacks up against newly public competitor Boxabl. Timestamps: (00:00) A refugee's first deal – $100M in real estate, closed almost by accident (07:39) Built in a factory – Why that doesn't mean lower quality here (25:43) The Columbus rule – A city bans manufactured homes for no real reason (32:59) The financing gap – Lenders still won't fund modular homes despite new law (43:08) The 2008 code – It decided who lost their home in the fires (54:08) Boxabl comparison – How a newly public rival stacks up against him Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed Homes Crowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#268
September 23 · 27 min
Houses Built After 2008 Survived Wildfires 80% of the Time
Homes built under California's 2008 fire code survived last year's wildfires 80% of the time; homes built before it were destroyed 80% of the time. Gene Eidelman breaks down the cheap fixes behind that gap — double-pane windows, mesh over AC vents, no wooden fences touching the house. He and Jerremy also dig into LA County's homelessness numbers: 75,000 people, with only 18% showing drug addiction the moment they first hit the street. Cities routinely spend up to a million dollars and six years building one unit; Gene says he can do it for under $100,000 in six months. He closes by comparing his company directly to newly public competitor Boxabl and revealing plans for a public crowdfunding round. Timestamps: (00:00) The Malibu fire – He lived through it and later found the pattern (06:48) The addiction myth – Only 18% show drug use at first (08:23) The real cost gap – Cities spend a million; he does it cheaper (11:15) Boxabl comparison – How his approach differs from the newly public competitor Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed Homes Crowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#267
September 22 · 17 min
Zoning Still Blocks the Affordable Homes America Needs
One Ohio city's zoning code outright bans manufactured homes in a low-income neighborhood — even for a project explicitly meant to be affordable. Gene Eidelman calls it a holdover from 1960s trailer-park stigma that has nothing to do with how these homes actually perform today. He walks through how ADUs, junior ADUs, and new state rules allowing four to eight units per lot are quietly solving California's housing shortage, while cities like Laguna Beach still block almost everything. Dave presses him on how an ADU actually changes a homeowner's life day to day. Gene also flags a real financing gap: some lenders still refuse to fund modular construction, even with a new federal law requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to back it. Timestamps: (00:00) The zoning fight – One city won't even approve his affordable homes (00:22) The Columbus rule – A city bans manufactured homes for no real reason (04:25) Two cities, two outcomes – Why one welcomes density and one blocks it (07:32) The financing gap – Some lenders still won't fund modular homes at all Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed Homes Crowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#266
September 21 · 26 min
Gene Eidelman Sold $100M in Real Estate, Then 3D-Printed Homes
In 1976, homes under 1,400 square feet made up a third of new construction; by 2020, that number had fallen to 7%. Gene Eidelman arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from the former Soviet Union, got his real estate license within a year, and sold $100 million in property within three years. He's since built thousands of homes and co-founded Azure Printed Homes, which 3D-prints houses from recycled plastic in weeks instead of months. America is short roughly 10 million homes, he says, and the real fix isn't more supply of any size — it's smaller, factory-built homes people can actually afford. He also breaks down why factory-built housing carries a stigma in the U.S. that Japan and Scandinavia never developed. Timestamps: (00:00) First deal ever – A refugee closes $100M in three years (03:07) The tiny home test – His son loves living in 200 square feet (05:26) Ten million homes short – That number already undercounts the real shortage (07:39) The trailer stigma – Why factory-built homes still read as cheap here Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed Homes Crowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#265
September 17 · 1 hr 5 min
Austin Built 3x More Housing. Families Left Anyway. (Full)
Austin added new housing three times faster than the rest of the country for a decade — rents dropped below the national average, and young families left anyway, in numbers big enough that schools are now closing. Ryan Puzycki, who sits on Austin's zoning board, says outdated codes banned entire housing types — no fourplexes, no missing middle, no SROs. He traces the homelessness crisis straight back to America banning its cheapest housing type. Jerremy and Dave press him on BlackRock, Houston's fix, and what's next. Timestamps: (00:00) The core stat – why "build more" isn't fixing housing (01:13) Meet Ryan – the man rewriting Austin's zoning code (06:25) Rents fell – but young families left Austin anyway (13:06) A preschool waitlist – San Francisco's scarcity problem up close (20:31) The banished bottom – cheap housing America chose to destroy (32:54) One metric – that actually proves if a city is failing (39:08) The BlackRock myth – why Wall Street isn't the real villain (44:50) Cities doing it right – Houston's quiet fix for homelessness (55:06) Rapid fire – Ryan on zoning, BlackRock, and the American dream Connect: Ryan Puzycki – Website 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
#264
September 16 · 20 min
The City Quietly Beating San Francisco at Homelessness
Houston cut its homeless population by 60 to 70 percent over the past decade — while San Francisco spends roughly five times more per person for worse results. Ryan Puzycki says Houston made it easy to build housing, then used homeless dollars for rapid rehousing instead of expensive permanent supportive housing. He also names Texas's bipartisan Senate Bill 840 as a state model, and argues single-family zoning mostly protects incumbents, not future homeowners. Timestamps: (00:00) Alex teases – Houston's quiet fix for the homelessness crisis (00:14) Which cities – are actually getting housing policy right today (10:30) Ryan fields – rapid-fire questions on zoning and the American dream (15:38) The hosts' honest – take on what this episode nailed Connect: Ryan Puzycki – Website 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

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