New Updates on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
Data Democratization and Evidence-Based Policy
Within the U.S. government, there is bipartisan support for both using evidence in policymaking and improving the broader infrastructure needed to gather evidence while protecting privacy. Assistant Secretary for PD&R Katherine O'Regan discusses how PD&R has participated in this effort by making administrative tenant data accessible to a wider set of stakeholders. To this end, PD&R has issued a request for letters of interest from qualified researchers to access data sets from HUD's completed randomized trials, such as the Moving to Opportunity demonstration and the Family Options Study.

In Practice:
Program Assists Landlord Entrepreneurs in Connecticut
Connecticut’s Housing Development Fund developed the Landlord Entrepreneurship Affordability Program (LEAP) to address two key housing issues: a persistent demand for affordable housing and the presence of poorly maintained multifamily rental properties that threaten neighborhood viability. Launched in November 2014, LEAP provides downpayment assistance, rehabilitation funds, and mortgages to people making no more than 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) to buy, renovate, and live in 2- to 4-family rental buildings.

Trending:
German - U.S. Cooperation: Working Together To Find New Solutions for Our Cities
German policymakers and practitioners gather each year at the National Urban Development Conference to discuss the most pertinent issues and advancements in urban development. The 10th annual conference, held last September in Hanover, Germany, focused on how government policies can promote sustainable, inclusive growth in cities and better outcomes for vulnerable populations. Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow Kate Reynolds discusses the striking similarities in the challenges and opportunities faced by Germany and the United States.

Policy Update:
Community Development and the Digital Divide
Increasingly, people need Internet access to pursue and succeed in education and secure and sustain employment opportunities. Since 2000, infrastructure gains have increased the availability and usage of in-home, high-speed broadband; however, gaps persist in Internet access and use by race, income, geography, and educational attainment. Several programs, including HUD's ConnectHome initiative, aim to close the digital divide through investments in infrastructure, affordable broadband connections and devices, and digital literacy training.

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