New Updates on PD&R Edge

In Practice:
Providing Housing and Support Services for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in Des Moines, Iowa
Sixth Avenue Flats is a 42-unit affordable housing development in Des Moines, Iowa, that opened in July 2022. Developed by Hatch Development Group, Sixth Avenue Flats serves individuals and families who earn no more than 60 percent of the area median income. The developer partnered with Youth & Shelter Services, a local nonprofit serving youth and young adults facing housing instability, to set aside five units to help young adults aging out of foster care transition to independent living.

PD&R Leadership:
PD&R 50th Anniversary Reunion
In the Leadership Message, General Deputy Assistant Secretary Todd Richardson discusses a recent reunion of former PD&R Assistant Secretaries, PD&R alumni, and current staff. The article also includes a quiz for readers to test their historical knowledge of PD&R’s and HUD’s activities over the past half century, based on information shared in this year’s PD&R at 50 series of articles. Good luck!

Research:
Worst Case Housing Needs Reach Highest Level in 2021 as the Pandemic Exacerbates the Persistent Shortage of Affordable Housing
HUD’s “Worst Case Housing Needs: 2023 Report to Congress,” its 19th biennial report, reveals that in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 8.53 million renter households had worst case housing needs — the highest level recorded since 2011. Data for the report are derived from the 2021 American Housing Survey. Although the report found that the pandemic and its associated economic fallout influenced the level of worst case housing needs in 2021, the AHS did not count one-time federal stimulus payments in its measurement of household income. Such government support likely helped address the significant housing needs of many renter households with worst case needs.

Trending:
A Research Agenda to Advance Latino Homeownership
So far, researchers have conducted few studies of the multifaceted housing needs of U.S. Latinos that reflect the diversity of this population. To address issues of housing equity, particularly disparities in homeownership, UnidosUS partnered with the Urban Institute to develop and answer important research questions that will help UnidosUS meet its goal of increasing homeownership rates among U.S. Latinos. In July 2023, the Urban Institute released a new report examining the state of existing research on Latino homeownership and outlining an agenda to fill research gaps and build the knowledge base needed for well-tailored, research-driven policy solutions.

International & Philanthropic Spotlight:
Global Cities and Affordable Housing: Paris
Affordable housing in a densely populated city can be hard to find. Paris is one of the world’s most expensive cities, and little land remains for developing additional affordable housing. However, some relief is being afforded to Paris residents through an “adapting the existing” plan, which aims to convert existing structures into housing. The city council plans to create more than 4,000 units; of these, at least 20 percent will be affordable, with the goal of having 40 percent of the city’s units be public housing by 2035. The plan supplements the national Urban Solidarity and Renewal law from 2000, which states that 20 percent of the housing stock in French cities must be public housing.

PD&R at 50:
The Evolution of PD&R National Housing Market Releases
The Housing Market Indicators report, a monthly public release providing information on national housing market conditions, presents key statistics on home sales and prices, housing supply, mortgage originations and finance costs, and homeownership and rental affordability as well as data on other timely housing topics. As part of the PD&R@50 series, this article describes how the content and use of the Housing Market Indicators report have evolved over time in response to changes in the housing market.

Please send your comments and suggestions to editor@huduser.gov.