As we begin the new year, the need for innovative strategies to address poverty and economic inequity is clearer than ever: individuals and families in the U.S. are currently experiencing a decline in reported financial well-being, rising rates of homelessness, and rising national student loan debt.

All people deserve stable housing, economic security, and the resources to thrive. We remain committed to this vision by fighting the legal, economic, and social structures that perpetuate racial and socioeconomic inequalities. We are proud to publish Issue 2, which highlights shortcomings of current laws and policies and offers solutions to issues of homelessness, housing instability, predatory payday loans, failed economic development projects, and the student debt crisis.

The first article, written by Laurie Hauber, explores the web of laws that criminalize homelessness and provides a roadmap for local reform. The second article, written by David Berman, examines the ways in which inadequate regulatory over-sight of payday lending leaves low-income lenders vulnerable and suggests an experimentalist approach to heightened regulation.

The last three pieces in this issue are Notes written by new legal scholars. First, Vol. 30 Articles Editor Carly Hoffman examines the harms of eminent do-main in failed economic development projects and offers solutions to shift the burden of economic development takings from communities of color and low- income communities to developers. Second, Stephanic Kaczowski outlines the disproportionate impact of student loan debt on Black students and offers remedies to the student loan debt crisis. Finally, Vol. 31 Senior Editor Drew Knauss explores the ways in which the District of Columbia Housing Authority fails to meet required standards and offers solutions to improve the operations of DCHA and promote safe, affordable housing.

We want to thank our incredible staff for their tireless commitment to sup-porting meaningful scholarship. We also want to thank our Faculty Advisors and Board of Advisors for their support and guidance. Finally, we want to thank you, our reader; we look forward to sharing these ideas with you.

Sincerely,

Sierra Campbell, Editor in Chief, Vol. 31

Ruby Grace, Managing Editor, Vol. 31

[1] BD. OF GOVERNORS OF THE FED. RESERVE SYS., REP. ON THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS IN 2022 13 (2023), https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2022-report-economic- well-being-us-households-202305.pdf.

[2] State of Homelessness: 2023 Edition, NAT’L ALL. TO END HOMELESSNESS, https://endhomelessness. org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness/#homelessness-trends-over-time. 

[3] Student Loan Debt Statistics, EDUC. DATA INIT. (Aug. 20, 2023), https://educationdata.org/ student-loan-debt-statistics.