New Updates on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
HUD’s Research Funding
Research undertaken by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) is governed by a Research Roadmap and funded by an annual appropriation of federal money by Congress. Todd M. Richardson, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development, discusses how the $89 million appropriation to HUD’s Research and Technology account for fiscal year 2017 will fund PD&R’s core research, knowledge management, demonstrations and evaluations, and technical assistance.

Trending:
Global Cities and Affordable Housing: Sydney
Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales and Australia’s most populous city, is one of the least affordable housing markets in the world, second only to Hong Kong. As the population increases, the lack of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income households has led to high costs and a workforce subject to long daily commutes. The state and local governments are cooperating to address the problem in a variety of ways, including negotiating developer partnerships to build 600,000 new affordable units.

In Practice:
An Unfinished Subdivision Given New Life by Santa Fe CDFI Homewise
In 2014, the nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) Homewise took ownership of Tessera, an unfinished Santa Fe subdivision. Homewise plans to build and sell 166 houses in the development by 2021, 22 of which will be affordable to low-income buyers. The CDFI is offering free homebuyer education and affordable financing to all buyers in the development. Homewise’s efforts in Tessera exemplify how CDFIs can promote sustainable homeownership in their communities.

Research:
The Quality of America’s Assisted Housing Stock
The HUD report The Quality of America’s Assisted Housing Stock: Analysis of the 2011 and 2013 American Housing Survey uses 33 measures from the 2011 and 2013 American Housing Survey to develop 3 composite indices by which to compare the assisted and unassisted housing stock. The report finds that both types of housing are of similar quality; that most dwellings have no quality problems; and that few quality problems persist over a two-year span.

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