On November 13, 2001, approximately forty participants convened for the Forum on Rehabilitation Data Needs. The Forum was structured through four panel presentations. Experts in the field were selected to present thoughtful and thorough assessments of specific rehabilitation issues and the ways in which enhanced data could address these issues. Each panel prompted a rich discussion by forum participants into the types and quality of data that are or should be collected. In the concluding panel, experts offered appraisals of current ongoing data collection efforts as well as possible supplements. This report contains information from the forum including information from the presentations The report discussion is organized by topic - following each panel.

Panel One: Geographical Dimensions of Remodeling
This panel reviewed existing sources of rehabilitation data that provide locational information and considered the basis of need and possible implementation of a strategy to collect market information at the transaction level so that data might be placed in a local context.

Panel Two: Rental Housing
This panel reviewed what few sources of data exist on rental housing rehabilitation and considered how to create a market interest in developing reliable data useful to both industry and public entities, as well as some effective strategies for determining rehab spending on rental housing stock.

Panel Three: Financing Rehabilitation Activity/Government Rehabilitation Programs/Insurance
This panel reviewed the challenge presented by the variety of methods used to finance rehabilitation, including use of household savings, equity loans, mortgage refinance, credit card debt, public grants.

Panel Four: Evaluation of Data Sources and Strategies for Generating Improved
This panel integrated the major issues previously addressed and suggested specific next steps to the development of data that could begin to answer some critical questions about the rehabilitation industry.