HousingForward Virginia’s Research Library is sorted by topic and geographic focus. All our resources can be sorted by geographic category: National, Virginia, and Other States. Our resources span some of the best and most widely cited housing and related research that is publicly available online. Our database is always growing as recent studies and reports are added, so please check back often.
League of Women Voters Affordable Housing Study Report
The focus of this study is renter households at 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) or below -- the population with the most serious need for affordable housing. We include people experiencing homelessness, who will eventually enter rental housing. Housing is considered “affordable” if rent and utilities consume no more than 30% of the household’s total monthly income.
Read MoreU.S. Housing and Urban Development 2013 Article on using Mixed Income Housing Programs to Deconcentrate Poverty
HUD's mixed income housing program is a federal policy aimed at deconcentrating poverty in affordable housing developments. This Federal report details the theory and programmatic details for Mixed Income Housing.
Read More2012 US Department of Transportation Study On Regional Transportation Best Practices
Regionalism and a regional approach to transportation is key to deconcentrating poverty. This Federal report summarizes best practices in creating regional transportation entities.
Read More2010 VA Poverty Task Force Report
In 2009 and 2010 the State of Virginia convened a task force to look comprehensively at State-level policies aimed at alleviating poverty for Virginians. This summary report details existing programs, challenges and ultimately recommendations.
Read MorePRRAC Study On Why Vouchers Don’t Eliminate Concentrated Poverty
HUD Section Vouchers were intended to deconcentrate poverty by providing choice in the communities in which voucher holders could live. However, in practice, the program has done little on its own to deconcentrate poverty.
Read MorePolicy Report: New Policies to Re-Integrate School Systems
In the decades since Civil Rights-era desegregation policies, school systems have become increasingly more segregated, leading to concentrated poverty and a cycle of poverty. This report is a policy proposal to re-integrate school systems in an attempt to fulfill the promise of the desegregation policies of the past.
Read MoreStudy on Transit-Oriented Development an its effectiveness in Deconcentrated Poverty
Pairing affordable housing development with public transportation access is a best practice in planning and poverty deconcentration. This report evaluates how significantly this practice has been adopted by the affordable housing development industry and what room there is for improvement.
Read MoreNorfolk Plan to Reduce Poverty
Norfolk's poverty rate was double the national average and in 2014 the City issued a comprehensive, holistic approach to address concentrated poverty and the cycle of poverty in Norfolk. The report develops concrete steps the City will undertake to alleviate poverty through education, workforce development and neighborhood revitalization.
Read MoreState, Local, and Federal Laws Barring Source-of-Income Discrimination
An inventory and review of Source of Income legislation around the United States. Source of Income legislation restricts a landlords ability to deny housing based on the source of a potential tenant's income (ie., Section 8 vouchers).
Read MoreBuilding Opportunity II: A Fair Housing Assessment of State Low Income Housing Tax Credit Plans
2015 report that evaluates and ranks State LIHTC QAPs based on their efforts to deconcentrate poverty through their award of LIHTC allocations.
Read MoreNext Generation Community Revitalization: A Work in Progress
Six national models used in recent decades to comprehensively address community revitalization are evaluated in this report. These models approach poverty alleviation through a multi-pronged approach including social services, education,housing, etc.
Read MoreEvaluation of Housing for Health Permanent Supportive Housing Program
RAND conducted a formative evaluation to provide early feedback on program implementation and performed an outcome evaluation examining the effects of the PSH program on county service utilization and service costs.
Read MoreRental Housing Discrimination on the Basis of Mental Disabilities: Results of Pilot Testing
Rental Housing Discrimination on the Basis of Mental Disabilities: Results of Pilot Testing finds that when compared to people without mental disabilities, those persons who are living with mental disabilities receive fewer responses to their rental inquiries, are informed of fewer available units, and are less likely to be invited to contact the housing provider. In addition, HUD’s study found that they are less likely to be invited to tour an available unit, are more likely to be steered to a different unit than the one advertised, and are treated differently depending on their type of disability.
Read MoreState Strategies to Increase Energy and Water Efficiency in LIHTC Properties
A report by the National Housing Trust (NHT) and Energy Efficiency For All (EEFA) identifies 10 prominent strategies in use by state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to reduce operating expenses in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) properties.
Read MoreHow Federal Dollars are Spent: The Case for New Priorities
This Terwilliger Foundation report reveals the striking imbalance of current federal housing assistance, where most of the benefits accrue to higher income households. It notes that the median income of homeowner households ($68,797) is more than double the median income of renter households ($33,784), but renters receive none of benefits of mortgage-related tax expenditures and most of these expenditures go to higher income homeowners.
Read MoreUnderstanding the Jobs–Affordable Housing Balance in the Richmond Region
This VCU Wilder School report documents the geographic location of jobs generally available for households requiring low-cost housing in Richmond, VA.
Read MorePreserving Affordability and Access in Livable Communities: Subsidized Housing Opportunities near Transit and the 50+ Population
This study analyzes the location of affordable housing in 20 metropolitan areas by mapping federally subsidized rental apartments in each area and measuring the amount of affordable housing within certain distances of transit. The study uses five areas as case studies—including site visits and interviews with residents 50 and older—to provide more information on the challenges and benefits of different locations of affordable housing.
Read MoreIncreasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability
Visitability initiatives that support aging independently in one's home and community are the subject of this AARP Public Policy Institute Research Report. Authors Jordana Maisel and Edward Steinfeld of the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA) and Eleanor Smith of Concrete Change discuss the barriers to visitability implementation and opportunities for further acceptance of these design parameters in the construction of new homes.
Read MoreExpanding Implementation of Universal Design and Visitability Features in the Housing Stock
This publication raises awareness about the need for universal design and visibility features that make homes more accessible for older adults and their families and also highlights actions that communities can take to encourage the creation of more accessible housing.
Read MoreBeyond “NIMBYism”: Why Americans Support Affordable Housing But Oppose Local Housing Development
Drawing on surveys of California and of the 20 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, Stanford University shows that opposition to new affordable housing is likely due to voters’ adopting independent attitudes on two dimensions of housing policy: redistribution (aid for housing) and development (construction of needed housing stock in an area).
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