20 August, 2024
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PD&R Edge, an online magazine,
provides you with a snapshot view of our newly
released research, periodicals, publications, news, and commentaries on
housing
and urban development issues.
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Climate and environmental challenges increasingly affect
every aspect of society, including housing. One session at
HUD’s 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase explored the
connection between affordable housing and sustainability,
with participants sharing insights into how HUD, the U.S.
Department of Energy, and other agencies are addressing
challenges and pursuing strategies at the intersection of
decarbonization and affordable housing. The strategies
include increasing the use of sustainable materials in
housing construction, improving energy efficiency in
existing buildings, and promoting workforce training to aid
in the installation of green technologies. Participants also
discussed how collaboration between agencies and with local
communities enhances sustainability efforts while promoting
equity, affordability, and resilience.
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PD&R LEADERSHIP
Global Similarities
In the Leadership Message, Peter Kahn, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary
for the Office of Policy Development, discusses his recent involvement in
two international engagements. At the 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase, a
delegation from South Korea discussed that country’s efforts to
overcome
affordability challenges like those in the United States, including ways to
increase the use of offsite construction methods. Last month, participants
at a research roundtable hosted by counterparts from the United Kingdom
discussed strategies and research opportunities to further place-based
innovation to improve housing development and affordability.
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IN PRACTICE
Transforming a Historic Single-Room Occupancy
Building in Chicago Into Affordable Apartments
In Chicago, the Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation
recently completed the transformation of what was once the
largest single-room occupancy supportive housing facility in
the Midwest into 406 affordable studio apartments. Known as
Lawson House, the historic structure is a 24-story building
emblematic of the Art Deco architecture built in the
city’s
“Gold Coast” area in the 1930s. Since 2017, the
building has
been listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
helping the developer secure historic tax credits as part of
the $129 million funding package needed to complete the
renovation. The Chicago-Low Income Housing Trust Fund, which
is primarily supported through fees paid through the
city’s
inclusionary housing program, funded over a quarter of the
units.
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RESEARCH
Medicare
Advantage Coverage Among Individuals Receiving Federal
Housing Assistance
A recent study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services and PD&R examined the prevalence of
Medicare Advantage (MA) coverage among individuals who also
receive federal housing assistance. Understanding MA
coverage among older adults receiving federal housing
assistance is important because this population faces
disproportionately high rates of chronic conditions and
healthcare utilization. The study determined that, compared
with individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare plans,
HUD-MA individuals were more likely to have lower incomes,
belong to a racial or ethnic minority group, and demonstrate
dual eligibility for Medicaid, suggesting the potential for
providing coordinated services to enrollees.
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INTERNATIONAL & PHILANTHROPIC SPOTLIGHT
Vacant Lot Remediation in
the United States and Europe
Demographic shifts, deindustrialization, and disinvestment have resulted in
high rates of abandoned and vacant properties and lots both in the U.S. and
abroad. Because vacant lots are often concentrated in neighborhoods with
predominantly low-income minority residents, the persistence of vacant
properties and their associated ills is an equity issue. In the U.S., states
and localities have approached remediation in various ways, including
selling vacant city-owned properties to homebuyers as fixer-uppers,
launching “cleaning and greening” programs run by community
volunteers, and
transferring ownership to neighborhood residents as a means of grassroots
preservation. In addition to these strategies, some European countries have
taken more aggressive action, offering to pay residents to move to remote
villages.
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suggestions to editor@huduser.gov.
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HUD USER
| P.O. Box 23268,
Washington, DC
20026-3268
Toll Free:
1-800-245-2691 | TDD:
1-800-927-7589
Local:
1-202-708-3178 | Fax:
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https://www.huduser.gov/
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