New Updates on The Edge

Featured Story

Message from PD&R Leadership:
Introducing PD&R's Special Advisor on Housing Finance
Under current mortgage underwriting guidelines, many people who are excellent credit risks are not able to obtain mortgages. Richard Green, Senior Advisor on Housing Finance in the Office of Policy Development and Research, introduces his ideas on how access to credit, as well as fair lending, housing affordability, housing finance for seniors, and shared appreciation mortgages, will help support better housing outcomes for households in the United States.

Research:
Assessing the Accessibility of America's Housing Stock for Physically Disabled Persons
The availability of accessible housing plays a key role in furthering the goal of fair housing opportunity for individuals with disabilities set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Accessibility of America's Housing Stock: Analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey, a study recently released by PD&R, uses American Housing Survey (AHS) data to examine the prevalence of features in the nation's housing stock that make units accessible for people with physical disabilities.

Spotlight on PD&R Data:
An Introduction to HUD's Regions
PD&R's U.S. Housing Market Conditions website contains national, regional, state, metropolitan, and local data and analysis in one location. The latest spotlight introduces the wealth of regional housing economic data which will be featured in this section of The Edge.

In Practice:
Affordable Housing Helps Disaster Recovery in Phil Campbell, Alabama
Approximately 60 percent of the buildings in the small town of Phil Campbell, Alabama, including all of the public housing and much of the affordable housing, were damaged or destroyed by a tornado, displacing more than 25 percent of the town's 1,100 residents. Though some predicted the community would never recover, a long-term community recovery plan now exists and The Village at Oliver Place, a 24-unit townhouse development is helping the community meet the recovery plan's goals.

Policy Update:
Local Initiatives Promote Homeownership in Indian Country
Several barriers, such as the legal framework governing land ownership and mortgage transactions, hinder the prospect of homeownership for residents of Indian Country. Local initiatives supported by federal policies and national nonprofits, including downpayment assistance programs in tandem with financial literacy or homebuyer education courses, are helping to address these impediments to homeownership.