New Updates on PD&R Edge

PD&R Leadership:
A Spotlight on Homelessness
In the Leadership Message, Heidi Joseph, director of research utilization for the Office of Policy Development & Research, discusses events and activities from December 2022 that highlight efforts to support individuals experiencing homelessness. For example, on December 19, HUD released Part 1 of its 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which helps local, state, and federal entities target funding and coordinate efforts to end homelessness. The following day, the People for Fairness Coalition held its 10th annual Homeless Vigil in Washington, D.C., to recognize individuals experiencing homelessness who died over the past year and to raise awareness of the need for support and services. Finally, the massive winter storm that affected a large swath of the United States at the end of the year highlighted the importance of D.C.’s right-to-shelter law.

In Practice:
Monroe Gardens Preserves Affordable Housing and Pilots Digital Equity in Revitalization Area
Phoenix, Arizona, is redeveloping its obsolete public housing stock to deconcentrate poverty and create quality affordable housing units. In the downtown Edison-Eastlake Community, the city completed its first conversion of public housing to project-based Section 8 rental housing under the HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration program. Opened in 2021, Monroe Gardens replaces a 38-unit public housing site with 78 modernized units for low-income households. The development results from a partnership with affordable housing developer Gorman & Company and spurs revitalization in the area, a historically African-American neighborhood featuring downtown access and proximity to light rail. In addition to unit upgrades and increased density, Monroe Gardens is the city’s pilot site for creating digital equity for low-income families.

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