New Updates on The Edge

Research:
HUD’s Green and Energy Retrofit Assessment: Key Findings and Policy Implications
From the $13.6 billion allocated to HUD under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, HUD disbursed $4 billion toward the Public Housing Capital Fund to renovate public housing and $250 million toward the Green Retrofit Program to install energy-efficiency upgrades in multifamily housing. In June 2017, HUD released Assessment of ARRA Green and Energy Retrofits in HUD-Subsidized Housing, which identified how PHAs completed energy-efficient retrofits and measured outcomes to help inform HUD’s future efforts to improve energy efficiency in existing affordable housing.

Trending:
Demographic Change and the Remodeling Outlook
Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) recently released a report, “Demographic Change and the Remodeling Outlook,” which predicts key trends and drivers in the home remodeling market. On April 7, 2017, two of the report’s authors hosted a presentation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to discuss the report’s key findings and their implications for future remodeling activity. The JCHS researchers expect that the baby boom generation will be a key driver of the remodeling market in the coming years as they make accessibility improvements and home modifications to allow for aging in place.

In Practice:
A Historic School Becomes Senior Housing in Brewer, Maine
After sitting vacant since 2010, the former Brewer Middle School building in the city of Brewer, Maine, was redeveloped as 28 affordable one-bedroom apartments for low-income seniors. The community was determined to find a new use for the historic yellow brick building, and in 2012, Brewer Housing Authority executive director Gordon Stitham was inspired to adaptively reuse the building for affordable housing. The redevelopment, now known as Somerset Place, opened in December 2015 and is fully leased.

Spotlight on PD&R Data:
Housing Demand Forecast for the Flagstaff, Arizona Housing Market Area
The first article in a series focusing on HUD’s Comprehensive Housing Market Analyses (CHMAs) examines the Flagstaff, Arizona housing market area (HMA). Located in north central Arizona, the Flagstaff HMA has been experiencing economic growth since 2010, following 3 years of decline. Due to moderate population growth, enrollment growth at Northern Arizona University, and expected growth in the hospitality and leisure sector, the Flagstaff HMA is forecasted to continue growing over the next 3 years. Demand for rental units is also projected to remain strong as student enrollment at Northern Arizona University increases.

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