by Janet Viveiros,
National Housing Conference
As we move into the new year, NHC is excited to pursue its 2017 research agenda, which will continue our work on evaluating the housing affordability challenges of low- and moderate-income households, examining how housing intersects with health, education and economic opportunity and exploring how to preserve and create inclusive communities.
We will start the year with the January 10 release of “Paycheck to Paycheck: More Than Housing,” a research supplement, which puts data from “Paycheck to Paycheck 2016” in context by examining spending on housing combined with other household spending. Despite a recovering economy, many households still struggle to cover their rent check or mortgage payment each month. These struggles also have an impact on their ability to buy nutritious food, access health care or medications or deal with other financial needs. While high housing costs on both the East and West Coasts contribute to housing affordability challenges there, many people in low-cost regions also face serious obstacles to finding affordable housing.
Building upon the discussion at the How Housing Matters Conference in December, NHC will convene at housing and health working group with practitioners from both sectors. The working group will meet over the course of the year to learn from each other about innovative ways to create sustainable cross-sector partnerships and initiatives to support the well-being of low-income households by addressing social determinants of health. Working group members will also tackle some of the barriers practitioners face when creating partnerships, and develop a knowledge base that will help both fields better understand the steps needed to pursue viable partnerships across the housing and health silos.
Early this year, NHC will also begin releasing an updated and revised guide from HousingPolicy.org, a resource developed by the Center for Housing Policy before its merger with NHC. The guide explores numerous strategies for creating and preserving quality, affordable housing that meets different needs for households with low- and moderate-incomes. This online affordable housing policy guide will also be a resource for individuals looking to learn more about a wide variety of policies and programs at the federal, state and local level that support the development or preservation of affordable housing to rent or own. We will add to the policy guide over the course of the next year to create a comprehensive source of information on affordable housing policies and programs.
As we get further into 2017, there will be much more to come from NHC’s research department. We also want to hear from all of you. What resources and research does the field need in 2017? Get in touch and let us know what research you want to see from NHC this year.