NPR News Investigations

Lauren Bloomstein holds her newborn daughter.

Focus On Infants During Childbirth Leaves U.S. Moms In Danger

1:06pm May 12, 2017

The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world: Sixty percent of the 700 to 900 deaths each year are preventable, including that of neonatal nurse Lauren Bloomstein.

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Developer Terri Anderson says she ran into problems when trying to build an apartment complex with units set aside for Section 8 voucher holders on the line between Frisco and McKinney.

Section 8 Vouchers Help The Poor — But Only If Housing Is Available

8:57pm May 10, 2017

In Dallas and other tight rental markets, Section 8 voucher holders can't find the homes they need, while developers face resistance from wealthier neighborhoods when trying to build new housing.

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The $25 million Labre Place in Miami was built using the low-income housing tax credit program. It's named for the patron saint for the homeless and is now home to 90 low-income residents, about half of whom were once homeless.

Affordable Housing Program Costs More, Shelters Fewer

11:15pm May 09, 2017

The low-income housing tax credit program gave way to a booming $8 billion private industry, but as tax credits for companies increased, the number of housing units being built for the poor fell.

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U.S. artist Ryan Mendoza poses for a photo next to the former house of Afro-American human rights figure Rosa Parks on Mendoza's property on April 6, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. Mendoza bought the house, which was slated for demolition in Detroit, took it ap

This Week In Race: A House That Flew Over The Ocean And A Man Who Didn't Get To Fly

5:22am April 14, 2017

You could say it's been a pretty turbulent week on the race beat.

Mansoor al-Dayfi sits in his apartment in Serbia. He was resettled there after serving 14 years in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

'Out Of Gitmo': Released Guantanamo Detainee Struggles In His New Home

8:23pm February 21, 2017

by Arun Rath

Are former detainees still a threat or just desperate to rebuild their lives? In partnership with PBS's Frontline, Arun Rath traveled to Serbia to find out why it's so difficult to relocate the men.

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Ed Howard, an attorney specializing in consumer issues, and his sister had trouble obtaining price information while trying to plan their father's funeral.

Despite Decades-Old Law, Funeral Prices Are Still Unclear

3:26pm February 08, 2017

by Robert Benincasa

Federal regulators have found about 1 in 4 funeral homes don't disclose their general price lists as required by the 1984 rule.

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Ellen Bethea and her great-grandson, Lucas, look at a painting of her late husband, Archie.

A Funeral May Cost You Thousands Less Just By Crossing The Street

7:27pm February 07, 2017

by Robert Benincasa

An NPR investigation finds the death care industry can often be confusing and unhelpful to consumers who must make high-priced decisions at a time of grief and financial stress.

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National

National Panel Advises Judges On People Who Can't Pay Court Fees

8:39pm February 03, 2017

by Joseph Shapiro

Jurisdictions around the country are receiving guidelines that urge courts find alternatives to jail for defendants who can't pay fines linked to minor, nonviolent offenses such as traffic tickets.

Residents visit in the Park Plaza office as Bonita Johnson (left) hangs a holiday decoration and Pat Streeter sips coffee. Streeter was open to becoming a cooperative, but she felt it was a fractured community.

National

When Residents Take Ownership, A Mobile Home Community Thrives

4:10pm December 27, 2016

by Daniel Zwerdling

A neighborhood in Minnesota is proving that there's a potential solution to run-down mobile home parks: The residents banded together democratically and purchased their community.

Dawn Tachell looks at the trash and debris that have collected in her community. Conditions in the neighborhood have become so bad that some people have abandoned their houses and moved out.

Mobile Home Park Owners Can Spoil An Affordable American Dream

1:32pm December 26, 2016

by Daniel Zwerdling

Water and sewage problems at an Idaho mobile home park illustrate how manufactured housing communities owned by outsiders are often kept in a state of disrepair.