Volume 4 Number 8
September 2007

In this Issue
Homeownership Zones: Transforming Blighted Neighborhoods
Elders’ Homes Have Lower Values
A Snapshot of Worst Case Housing Needs in 2005
New Address-Based Data Set Available to Housing Researchers and Practitioners
In the next issue of ResearchWorks

In the Next Issue of ^ResearchWorks...

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• Every day, a network of 240 loosely affiliated nonprofit organizations is creating housing opportunities for residents of local communities around the nation. Although each nonprofit’s mission is unique, each is also a committed charter member of NeighborWorks^®. We’ll look at the network’s diverse local initiatives and its collective response to both the housing shortfall wrought by the Gulf Coast storms and to the rising rate of foreclosures nationwide.

• Panelized housing continues to gain market share in new construction for the affordable housing market. A new PATH study, Panelized Wall Systems: Making the Connections, sets forth research-based Performance Standard Criteria for the connection systems used for concrete, metal, wood structural insulated panels, and wood open-wall panels manufactured for home construction. Our story will briefly touch on how the criteria can foster better-informed construction decisions on the part of affordable homebuilders and designers.

• The St. Paul-Ramsey County, Minnesota Lead Hazard Reduction Program was created to promote compliance with HUD’s lead-based paint regulations. The city-county partnership has developed a number of best rehabilitation practices for eliminating this barrier to affordable housing. We’ll examine best practices employed by the city of St. Paul and Ramsey County, along with some of the challenges of removing lead-based paint.

• A troubled Washington, D.C. property that suffered from poor management, rampant crime, and physical deterioration recently reopened as a “green” complex serving low-income families and seniors. The National Housing Trust-Enterprise Preservation Corporation and Somerset Development renovated the 83-unit Galen Terrace Apartments. This article examines the physical improvements, green features, the role of Low Income Housing Tax Credits and CDBG funds, and how the extension of HUD’s Section 8 contract will ensure that rents remain affordable for the next 20 years.