New Updates on The Edge

Featured Story

Message from PD&R Leadership:
Matt Ammon Joins PD&R's Leadership Team
After working at HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) for over 20 years, Matt Ammon has joined PD&R's leadership team as General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Ammon highlights OLHCHH's successful efforts to address housing-related health hazards, and he discusses how his experience with research and evaluation at OLHCHH has prepared him for his new position in PD&R.

Research:
Initial Findings of the First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Demonstration
The HUD-commissioned First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Demonstration is a randomized experiment designed to assess the effectiveness of education and counseling services in helping first-time homebuyers make good home-purchasing and financing decisions. A preliminary report, published in May 2016, indicates positive and statistically significant impacts of such services.

In Practice:
Employee Housing Improves Affordability in Watford, North Dakota
Since hydraulic fracturing wells sparked a boom in 2006, northwestern North Dakota has experienced a massive influx of workers and their families, creating a significant shortage of housing and a corresponding increase in prices. To provide affordable housing for essential service workers, McKenzie County Healthcare Systems (MCHS) constructed a 24-unit apartment building. Completed in July 2015, the building includes 18 units reserved for essential service workers at MCHS or other employers.

Trending:
Habitat III Miami Convening on Building a Resilient South Florida: "Stop Thinking This Is Someone Else's Problem."
In May 2016, dozens of high school students from five public school magnet programs in Miami-Dade County participated in a mini-charrette focused on fostering a more resilient South Florida. HUD Secretary Julián Castro selected Miami as one of five U.S. sites to host a convening in preparation for the UN Habitat III conference. The Miami HUD team invited the students who participated in the charrette to share their message about water conservation and efficiency at the convening.

Policy Update:
The Evidence on Homeownership Education and Counseling
Choosing and maintaining a home, as well as deciding whether to buy a home at all, can be difficult, and many people struggle to understand their choices. Prospective homebuyers may not shop around for mortgages that could lower their costs, and existing homeowners may encounter unexpected costs that make it difficult for them to maintain their payment plans. Research demonstrates that homeownership education and counseling can provide timely, powerful support for existing and prospective homeowners.

Spotlight on PD&R Data:
Spotlight on First Quarter Regional Rental Market Conditions
The latest Spotlight on PD&R Data from the U.S. Housing Market Conditions portal focuses on trends in the rental market in the first quarter of 2016, showing how the data vary across regions and how they compare to national trends.