Evidence Matters: Fall 2012

This issue of Evidence Matters examines various approaches to promoting successful homeownership opportunities for low-income individuals as well as the concerns these efforts raise. The lead article, “Paths to Homeownership for Low-Income and Minority Households,” discusses the benefits and risks of low-income homeownership, economic and racial differences in homeownership rates, and HUD programs that make homeownership affordable, expand access to safe financing, and prepare buyers to be successful owners. The Research Spotlight article, “Individual Development Accounts: a Vehicle for Low-Income Asset Building and Homeownership,” examines how IDAs have become an important asset-building tool for low-income populations and a potential path to more successful low-income homeownership. Finally, the In Practice article, “Shared Equity Models Offer Sustainable Homeownership,” looks at two shared equity homeownership models — a land trust in Minnesota and a below-market-rate ownership program in San Francisco — to understand how these options can help communities make homeownership more accessible.

In this Issue:

• Paths to Homeownership for Low-Income and Minority Households
• Individual Development Accounts: a Vehicle for Low-Income Asset Building and Homeownership
• Shared Equity Models Offer Sustainable Homeownership
• Additional Resources