New Updates on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
Have You Considered Installing Solar Panels?
In the leadership message, PD&R senior advisor for disaster response Dana Bres discusses the benefits of residentially installed solar panels, using his own experience obtaining and operating 16 panels at his home in Arlington, Virginia, as an example. There are many incentives available to homeowners to defray the cost of solar panel installation. Since 2005, the number of homes with solar panels has increased from approximately 100,000 to 2 million.

Research:
Jobs Plus Program for Public Housing Residents
A recently released PD&R-sponsored research report explores the implementation of the Jobs Plus program, which aims to improve employment participation and enhance earnings among public housing residents. The report evaluates 8 of the 35 participating public housing agencies. The evaluation indicated that the program can be successfully scaled up to support economic empowerment and greater self-sufficiency for PHA residents nationwide.

In Practice:
Transforming a Tuberculosis Sanatorium into Affordable Senior Living in Edison, New Jersey
Reopened after a $27 million renovation and conversion, the Residences at Roosevelt Park provide 84 units of affordable senior housing in Edison, New Jersey. The building, which was initially built during the Great Depression as a tuberculosis sanatorium, later functioned as a hospital and nursing home until the 2010s. Middlesex County obtained the property, which is ideally located adjacent to a large public park and a regional shopping hub, in 2013.

Spotlight on PD&R Data:
Strong Economic Conditions in the Evansville HMA Led by the Manufacturing Sector
The latest article in a series focusing on HUD's Comprehensive Housing Market Analyses examines the Evansville, Indiana Housing Market Area (HMA). Located in southern Indiana and encompassing parts of northern Kentucky, the Evansville HMA has a population of 314,500. Economic conditions in Evansville are strong, with a balanced housing market and a rate of homeownership higher than the national average.

Please send your comments and suggestions to editor@huduser.gov.