New Updates on the Edge

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Message from PD&R Leadership:
Aging in Place in Rural Communities
Issues faced by individuals seeking to age in place, such as social isolation, insufficient provision of services, and lack of dependable, affordable transportation, are often exacerbated in rural settings. Director of PD&R's Research Utilization Division Rachelle Levitt highlights a recent meeting organized by PD&R at which experts on aging discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with improving quality of life for elderly residents of rural areas.

In Practice:
Stabilizing Slavic Village in Cleveland, Ohio
In Slavic Village, a Cleveland community where foreclosures and vacancies increased and homeownership declined dramatically in the aftermath of the housing crisis, four organizations partnered to create the Slavic Village Recovery project, a for-profit, community-stabilization model. Since June 2013, the partners have been purchasing and rehabilitating foreclosed and vacant properties, selling them to interested households for a small profit, and reinvesting the proceeds to help renovate other homes.

Trending:
Designing HUD's Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program Part 2, An Interview with Ann Marie Oliva
In the second part of an in-depth Q & A, Ann Marie Oliva, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, shares her assessment of the impact of the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP). Oliva concludes that additional research and experience are needed to improve homelessness prevention programs, and that efforts to address homelessness should balance prevention with rapid rehousing that serves people in the most difficult circumstances first.

Policy Update:
Partnerships and Planning for Impact
Many communities experience challenges that transcend local jurisdictional boundaries, such as insufficient affordable housing, inadequate transportation, climate change, and the threat of natural disasters. Regional planning aims to facilitate collaboration among local governments and foster cross-sector approaches to these regional challenges, creating a foundation to pursue more equitable economic growth and sustainable development that improves opportunities and outcomes for current and future generations alike.