PAULINE'S PICKS: 'Miami Herald' Looks Into Low-Income Housing

By: Pauline Millard Housing and real estate are an obsession for some people, and one state that has seen tremendous growth in the area is Florida. If you've got fat pockets and are in the market for beach-front property, there's plenty to choose from in Florida.

But what about the people who aren't wealthy? In The Miami-Dade area, the chasm between the haves and have-nots is wide, and as the real estate market booms, the have-nots find themselves in a crunch for affordable housing.

The staff at The Miami Herald took a closer look and found that not only was affordable housing not readily available, but many projects were being proposed, funded, but never actually built. In their vast project, House of Lies, they take a look at the shady construction deals that riddle the area as well as the working-class and poor residents who have been left in its wake. Some have been waiting for years for lots to be built on, others aren't sure where they will live once public assistance runs out, since the area is being developed for people whose incomes average about 140% above the median.

There are lots of print stories and photos in the package, but The Herald makes best use of its video in this seven-part series. Viewers can hear the stories of the many jilted residence as well as hear from academics and reporters from the paper.

Has your paper taken an in-depth look at real estate? I'd love to see the results.

Here are some of my past Picks:

Bakersfield.com Uses a Special Section For Murder Case Coverage

LATimes.com Looks At The Health Of Our Oceans

The 'Star-Tribune' Looks at Liberians in Minnesota