Volume 4 Number 3
March 2007

In this Issue
Tax Credits Boost Housing Rehabilitation
Changes in Area Designations Help Promote New Development
Major Study Examines Errors in Rental Assistance Subsidies
Seattle Promotes the Rehabilitation of Affordable Dwellings
In the next issue of ResearchWorks

In the Next Issue of ^ResearchWorks...

FULL TEXT: Download complete issue (*.pdf, .98 MB) Order a printed copy of the whole text

• Working with Florida agriculture producers and others, HUD has developed a new generation of affordable, storm-resistant housing for migrant farm workers. The HUD Migrant Worker Prototype House was introduced at the Florida Agriculture Expo in early December 2006. The prototype, built to withstand a Category 4 hurricane, has two bedrooms, offers excellent fire protection, and costs less than $100 per square foot to construct. We’ll look at the public-private partnership that brought the house into being, where the prototype will be constructed, and potential uses in other areas of the country.

• The Community Development Corporation of Utah (CDCU) is one of three subject study sites reviewed in the process of developing an evaluation mechanism for HUD’s 602 Non-Profit Disposition program. The program makes HUD-held single-family homes available at deep discounts to local governments and nonprofits that rehabilitate the properties for resale to low- and moderate-income families. We’ll explore CDCU’s experience with the 602 Program to gain a sense of how local communities are using this resource to increase homeownership opportunities.

• The final analysis of a study designed to measure the impacts of housing vouchers provided to Welfare to Work program participants was recently published in the Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families. This article briefly discusses the conclusions reached regarding the influence of vouchers on housing location, household composition, material hardship, employment, education, and the children of recipient families.

• New models of delivering health-related and supportive services that are both attractive and affordable to low- and modest-income older adults is increasingly important as the number of senior Americans grows. Affordable housing plus services (AHPS) that link older residents of subsidized housing with health and supportive services may be one promising strategy. HUD recently participated in an exploration of what AHPS initiatives have to offer low- and modest-income seniors who wish to age in place. We’ll review the results.