New Updates on PD&R Edge

International & Philanthropic Spotlight:
Colombia’s Mi Casa Ya (My House Now) Assistance Program for Low-Income Homebuyers
In late February 2023, Catalina Velasco, the Colombian housing minister, led a delegation of Colombian officials to Washington, D.C., to meet with representatives from HUD and other federal and local agencies. Meeting attendees discussed topics such as the Housing Choice Voucher program, federal and local strategies to address homelessness, and how HUD and the Colombian Ministry of Housing, City, and Territory assist low-income homebuyers. Colombia recently modified its downpayment assistance program, Mi Casa Ya, to increase equity. Especially important are ensuring broader geographic distribution of program funds and permitting a wider variety of eligible structures, including indigenous housing.

In Practice:
Prado Family Homes Brings Long-Awaited Supportive Affordable Housing to Fountain Valley
Prado Family Homes, a 50-unit supportive affordable housing development, opened in July 2022 in the Los Angeles suburb of Fountain Valley, California. With a lack of remaining buildable land in Fountain Valley and the intense competition for low-income housing tax credits, Prado Family Homes is the first affordable housing development to open in the city in 16 years. The city proved a crucial partner to developer Related California and is now considering an inclusionary zoning ordinance to help meet its need for affordable housing moving forward.

PD&R Leadership:
United States – Japan Aging in Place Delegation Visits New York City, Hoboken, and Miami
In the Leadership Message, Cynthia Campbell, director of PD&R’s International and Philanthropic Affairs Division, discusses the visit by 11 senior officials from HUD’s Japanese equivalent, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. Participants visited sites in New York, New Jersey, and Florida to learn about projects that help seniors age in place and increase resiliency to climate change.

PD&R at 50:
Prequel to PD&R
Kent Watkins, chair and chief executive officer at the American Academy of Housing and Communities, discusses how various federal agencies and programs involved with housing research and data analysis eventually found a home in HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research.

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