A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.
16 Ideas Have Raised $3 Billion-Plus for Affordable Housing in U.S. Cities
(RECAP: A new report from the Urban Land Institute and NeighborWorks America showcases 16 of the best ideas for affordable rentals from around the country. Here’s a brass-tacks look at some of these ideas for how to build the new infrastructure for affordable housing.)
Addressing community opposition to affordable housing
(RECAP: The National Housing Conference’s new report, “Building Support for Affordable Housing: Perspectives from the Field,” offers seven key strategies for addressing community opposition to affordable housing development from veteran developer and regional housing program manager Arthur Sullivan.)
Exploring Greater Access to FHA Mortgage Insurance for Small Rental Investors
(RECAP: HUD recently released a commissioned study that examined options for making FHA’s mortgage insurance programs available to single-family rental property investors and more attractive to small-multifamily rental property investors. The result could be new investment that not only protects and preserves the existing rental housing stock but also speeds the conversion of distressed properties to rental units.)
Assessing the Accessibility of America’s Housing Stock for Physically Disabled Persons
(RECAP: The “Accessibility of America’s Housing Stock: Analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey,” suggests that housing stock is not well equipped to accommodate people with disabilities — a need likely to become more acute as the number of older Americans who have both ambulatory limitations and a desire to age in place grows. The study notes that additional research is needed to understand how people with disabilities live in homes with limited accessibility features.)
Opinions on Housing
The views and opinions expressed in Opinions on Housing are solely those of the original authors, and do not necessarily represent those of VHDA, our stakeholders or any/all contributors to this blog.
Dear FHA, Ignore the Doubters
(RECAP: More than seven years after the crisis, the private sector is hopefully set to return to the mortgage market in a bigger way. But FHA should not arbitrarily pull back the reins in the hopes that the private market will rebound. FHA's role is still as important as ever.)