New Updates on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
Report on UNECE's Meeting on Housing and Land Management in Geneva, Switzerland
In the leadership message, PD&R associate deputy assistant secretary for policy development Marge F. Martin reports on the 79th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UNECE's) Committee on Housing and Land Management. The theme of this year's meeting, which was held in October in Geneva, Switzerland, was "Towards sustainable housing and urban development through alignment with the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda in the UNECE Region." Martin represented the United States at the session.

Trending:
Examining Whom the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program Serves
In the trending article, Economic Development and Public Finance Division senior economist Michael Hollar answers questions about the PD&R report Understanding Whom the LIHTC Serves: Data on Tenants in LIHTC Units as of December 31, 2015. The report, published in March 2018, describes the characteristics of households living in LIHTC developments. Hollar discusses the context for the report, the limitations of the data collected, and the publication's impacts.

In Practice:
Adaptive Reuse and Redevelopment in Schenectady, New York
Opened in 2015, 845 Commons is a supportive housing development for men in Schenectady, New York. The 96,060-square-foot building near the city's downtown was originally built in 1915 as an insulator factory, but sat vacant for years before the developer, the Galesi Group, began renovations of the historic structure. The $26.2 million project now contains 155 affordable studio apartments. The building is managed by the Capital District YMCA and serves veterans, disabled individuals, and men living with mental illness.

Research:
Participation in First-Time Homebuyer Education and Housing Counseling
Homebuyer education and housing counseling services are designed to educate consumers and promote sustainable homeownership. A new report sponsored by PD&R analyzes the results of the First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Demonstration to determine the long- and short-term outcomes of this kind of education. The demonstration, which lasted from 2013 to 2016, enrolled over 5,800 prospective homebuyers and observed their behaviors and outcomes.

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