Volume 4 Number 4
April 2007

In this Issue
Affordable Housing Plus Services for Seniors
Effects of Welfare to Work Housing Vouchers
Evaluating the 602 Nonprofit Disposition Program
Prototype Home Addresses Migrant Housing Shortage
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• Mobilizing the private sector and domestic financial services industry to invest in affordable housing is of widespread interest to the international community. In November 2006, HUD and the United Nations Habitat program jointly organized a policy exchange forum attended by eight West African countries, India, Canada, and the United States. We’ll examine the forum’s focus on private-sector approaches to affordable housing, the role of public-private partnerships and financial intermediaries, and government regulatory frameworks and incentives.

• HUD annually updates the median family income estimates used by housing and community development professionals as the basis for income limits used in public housing and several other federal programs. Each year, HUD USER receives requests for information about the estimates. We’ll share answers to some of your more frequently asked questions, and offer some insights on how median family income affects both landlords and program participants.

• The design, construction, and renovation of buildings creates numerous competing demands for today’s government leaders. Streamlining the regulatory process has proven to be an effective means of reducing development costs and enhancing public services, economic competitiveness, disaster recovery, and affordable housing development. We will explore some of the best information technology practices available for making process improvements in the regulatory landscape.

• In April of 2005, the Chicago Daily Herald carried an article about Habitat for Humanity’s Northern Fox Valley’s plans for building new homes that included a block build project of five homes in Elgin, Illinois. The homes are now occupied, and the project received the HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence at the National Association of Home Builders’ annual conference in February 2007. ResearchWorks will discover how this project made owning homes with superior design affordable by capitalizing on the collective interests and efforts of the community.