New Updates on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
D.C. Metrorail
In the Leadership Message, PD&R’s director of the research utilization division Heidi Joseph discusses the relationship between robust public transit and housing affordability, equity, and climate resiliency, using Washington, DC’s Metro system as an example. While public transit provides a low-cost means of transportation, proximity to transit stations can correlate with higher housing costs, underlining the need to incorporate affordable housing into public transportation development plans. This dynamic can then push low- and middle-income residents to areas less connected to transit. Joseph discusses how the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s efforts align with HUD’s mission to promote equitable and affordable development.

Trending:
Promoting Mental Health Through Housing Stability
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and housing, as a social determinant of physical and mental health, plays an important role in people’s wellbeing. Housing instability in any form — whether it is difficulty paying rent, overcrowded living conditions, eviction, or homelessness — can negatively impact health. Efforts by the federal government during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond to promote housing stability align with efforts to promote mental health. These include efforts to highlight discrimination in housing faced by people living with mental health, intellectual, or developmental disabilities; HUD’s Supportive Housing Program; the Emergency Rental Assistance Program helping keep people housed during the pandemic; and many others.

In Practice:
Dr. Alice Moore Apartments Creates Supportive Affordable Housing in Southern Florida
Dr. Alice Moore Apartments opened in December 2020 in the Northwood Shores neighborhood of West Palm Beach, Florida. Replacing a one-story affordable housing building in poor condition, the new development provides nearly twice as many units for low-income residents and onsite case management services for tenants living with mental illness. The nonprofit developer Carrfour faced challenges of NIMBYism and partnership structure, but the support from local activists and city officials helped bring this project to completion.

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