THE 2000 -2009

America's homeownership rate reached a new record-high of 69 percent in 2004. HUD worked with public agencies, private partners, nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations to expand the availability of affordable housing, to improve structural and living conditions in HUD-insured and assisted rental housing projects, and to maintain a commitment to wider affordable rental housing opportunities. The Department led a major consumer advocacy initiative to reform outdated and needlessly complex regulatory requirements under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Impetus was also given to sponsoring targeted programs that provided housing and other essential support to special need populations, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, individuals with HIV/AIDS, and the homeless.

Housing prices peaked in early 2005 and began to decline in the following year. Increased foreclosure rates among U.S. homeowners led to a crisis that adversely effected home valuations and reverberated throughout the nation's mortgage markets, Wall Street hedge fund investments, and the industries of home building, real estate, retail home supply, and banking. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) strengthened and modernized the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (government-sponsored enterprises) and the Federal Home Loan Banks. It created a new program at FHA to help families save their homes from foreclosure and established the Neighborhood Stabilization Program with grants for stabilizing communities suffering from foreclosures and abandonment with the purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed and abandoned homes and residential properties.

Efforts to alleviate the stress on households and communities, caused by the foreclosure crisis and the recession, were extended in 2009 with passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Hearth Act, and Helping Families Save Their Homes Act.

PD&R’s research program produced significant analyses on a wide range of housing issues that reflected HUD’s priorities.

Research in 2000-2009

Assessment of the Loss of Housing for Non-Elderly People with Disabilities

The Long Term Effects of Housing Assistance on Self-Sufficiency: Final Report

Study of Multifamily Underwriting and the GSEs’ Role in the Multifamily Market

Barriers to Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing: Volume 1 Findings and Analysis

Moisture Problems in Manufactured Homes

National Evaluation of the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA)

The Impact of CDBG Spending on Urban Neighborhoods

Analysis of State Qualified Allocation Plans for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program

An Analysis of the Effects of the GSE Affordable Goals on Low- and Moderate-Income Families

Public-Sector Loans to Private-Sector Businesses: An Assessment of HUD-Supported Local Economic Development Lending Activities

Housing Choice Voucher Location Patterns: Implications For Participant And Neighborhood Welfare

Trends in Worst Case Needs for Housing, 1978 - 1999

Getting Lean: Assessing the Benefits of Lean Production in Factory Built Housing

Redistribution Effect of Introducing Census 2000 Data Into the CDBG Formula

Evaluation of the Mark-to-Market Program

What We Know About Mortgage Lending Discrimination in America

Homeownership Rate Differences Between Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites: Regional Variation at the County Level - Empirical Studies

Housing Tenure, Expenditure, and Satisfaction Across Hispanic, African-American, and White Households: Evidence from the American Housing Survey

Evolution of the U.S. Housing Finance System: A Historical Survey and Lessons For Emerging Mortgage Markets

An Analysis of FHA's Single-Family Insurance Program

Voucher Homeownership Study

Do We Know More Now? Trends In Public Knowledge, Support And Use Of Fair Housing Law

Neighborhood Effects in Mortgage Default Risk

Hispanic Homeownership Reports

Case Studies of Vouchered-Out Assisted Properties

Study of Subdivision Requirements as a Regulatory Barrier

Rates of Foreclosure in Home and ADDI Programs

New Evidence on the Relationship Between Race and Mortgage Default: the Importance of Credit History Data