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By Rachel Dovey. Although “granny flats,” as the name would suggest, are usually envisioned as  accessory units for extended family members , they can also be a helpful tool for creating more affordable housing, and cities are taking note. St. Louis, Boulder, Colorado, and Toronto have lately been considering accessory units to help create more affordable housing and foster “gentle density.” Now, a new pilot program in L.A. hopes accessory dwelling units can help curb the city’s skyrocketing homeless rate . The program, which was approved Tuesday by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, will connect qualifying homeowners with up to $75,000 in funding to build accessory dwelling units on their properties that will house formerly homeless people, Curbed reports. The county is also streamlining the permitting process. Homeowners who already have granny flats are eligible for up to $50,000 to cover the cost of renovations. Read the full story at Next City. Comments comments ...

The mother of a 3-year-old girl who strangled on the cord of some window blinds in a Happy Valley apartment filed a $4 million lawsuit last week. The girl, Sahrye Imani Hardy , had been visiting a resident at the Pineview Apartments near Clackamas Town Center with her mother on Feb. 12, 2015, when she became entangled in a dangling cord. Sahrye's mother was in the same room with her, but hadn't realized what was happening until it was too late, said a lawyer for the estate. "These are silent deaths," said Jim Corrigan, a lawyer representing Sahrye 's estate and who specializes in window-blind- death cases nationwide . "The cord basically cuts off the ability to speak, cry or make any specific noise." The suit faults Pineview Properties , Cascade Rental Management Company and blind manufacturer Newell Window Furnishings for allegedly allowing cords longer than 71/4 inches to hang from the window covering at the apartment complex at 8366 S.E. Caus...