Looking Ahead: FY 2014 Projects

Looking Ahead: FY 2014 Projects

Jean Lin Pao, General Deputy Assistant SecretaryAt the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, we work tirelessly to make a positive difference in people’s lives and communities. PD&R sponsors projects each year that further HUD’s mission and allow the department to maintain leadership in housing and community development research. The new fiscal year marks the launch of several new contracts that will take innovative approaches to research and community development. The new projects for 2014 include an expert convening contract vehicle, an affordable housing design competition for graduate students, and a new multidisciplinary research team. Several new research efforts focus on aspects of discrimination not previously explored.

Part of HUD’s mission is to maximize the efficiency and impact of the Department’s programs. Soliciting the advice of experts in the field can help HUD improve operations to serve communities more effectively. Through the expert convening contract, PD&R will obtain input and recommendations from experts in housing and community development on current issues and topics. The contract will allow HUD to assemble up to 14 forums (7 per year); the number of experts at each forum will vary depending on HUD’s specific needs. The topics for which HUD may seek expert input include performance metrics, current thinking or past experiences that can help HUD staff improve policy and manage programs more effectively, and ways HUD can increase its accountability and ensure effective use of public resources. HUD will also produce a written summary of the results of these forums and the practical advice they generate.

HUD will also extend opportunities to graduate students, allowing them to contribute to the field of housing and community development, as well as fostering the capacity of future leaders in the field. The Innovation in Affordable Housing Design Student Competition contract involves providing assistance and support with topical knowledge in housing and community development, planning, logistics, and outreach services for a new award program for graduate students. The goals of the Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition are:

• To encourage research and innovation in affordable housing design that strengthens the social and physical fabric of low- and moderate-income communities;
• To raise future practitioner capacity to produce more livable and sustainable housing for low- and moderate-income households; and
• To foster cross-cutting teamwork within the design and community development process.

PD&R will work with Office of Public and Indian Housing to choose a public housing agency site where the competition problem will be based. Student interdisciplinary teams will submit proposals, and a jury will select 4 to 5 finalists. Team representatives will visit the selected site, and the finalists will present their projects to the jury at HUD headquarters. The winning team will receive $10,000, and the second place team will receive $5,000.

Additionally, under the Multidisciplinary Research Team contract, PD&R will develop and manage a team of researchers whose concise, quick-response reports will help HUD develop and validate performance metrics to evaluate its programs; improve policy and program management to more effectively achieve its strategic outcomes, such as improved quality of life for residents and more vital, sustainable, and inclusive communities; and demonstrate the effective use of public resources to Congress and other stakeholders as required by the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act and other mechanisms.

Promoting inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination is also central to HUD’s mission. In FY 2013, PD&R released two important reports highlighting discrimination against same-sex couples and racial and ethnic minorities in the housing market. To continue increasing awareness, with the ultimate goal of reducing incidences of housing discrimination, several new research efforts will focus on this topic. Housing Discrimination on the Basis of Source of Income is intended to increase HUD’s understanding of housing discrimination against renters who receive housing choice vouchers as a source of income. The study will examine whether discrimination based on source of income can be reliably measured and, if so, define and test a methodology to identify and measure it. Housing Search Process of Racial and Ethnic Minorities will investigate the methods racial and ethnic minorities use to search for rental housing and explore the implications of these search methods for discrimination testing. Pilot for an Estimate of Housing Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People will evaluate techniques to establish baseline, in-person measurements of housing discrimination faced by same-sex couples in at least two metropolitan markets and housing discrimination against transgender people in a single metropolitan market.

HUD also seeks to determine whether federal programs have affected minority communities and other protected classes. The department, operating in conjunction with the Homeownership Preservation Office at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, just awarded a contract to examine, to the extent possible, whether implementation of the Making Home Affordable program (also known as the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP) has caused disparate treatment of, or disparate impact on, minority communities or protected classes as defined in the Fair Housing Act of 1968, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, or other applicable U.S. law. The study, HAMP Fair Lending Impact Analysis, will use statistical and econometric methodology and will rely largely on HAMP administrative data submitted by participating mortgage lenders and servicers and compiled by the Department of the Treasury.

The new projects and studies for fiscal year 2014 will extend HUD’s knowledge base on social and economic problems and provide evidence that will advance practitioners’ understanding of affordable housing as well as lead to policy changes that improve the implementation of HUD’s programs. The results of these research efforts will be posted on HUD USER as they become available. I encourage you to stay informed and engaged as we continue our work to advance HUD’s mission.