Reports and Studies

Congress included a special $5 million, mixed-income demonstration program in Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation's FY 2003 appropriation. The purpose of the set-aside was to explore approaches for serving households with incomes less than 30 percent of the area median ("extremely low income" or "ELI" households) in mixed-income communities. This paper shares highlights of the 21 grant applications (17 of which have been selected for funding) and how the special congressional funding made a distinct difference in the projects.
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Resident participation has been an area of community development aimed at increasing involvement of tenants in housing development, management and community-building. The precise roles and mechanisms of resident participation are not well understood, however. This paper explores the role of resident participation and its interaction with other factors that drive community revitalization. By understanding the necessary conditions, factors and other variables that strengthen resident participation, public policies can help low-income populations manifest their power and make a difference in their communities. The research presented here (1) describes the challenges and benefits of resident participation; (2) identifies examples of residents successfully contributing to the development and management of their homes; (3) details the conditions necessary for success; and (4) addresses the issue of assessing effectiveness.

For those seeking to encourage resident participation, the are three major challenges include time and money; limited options due to economics; and limited community capacity. Examples of successful resident participation are presented, such as the Demonstration Disposition in Boston -- one of the most notable examples of resident participation in development in the past 10 years. Building management has also been an arena for various levels and types of resident participation, and many community development corporations have developed creative ways of involving residents in community-building efforts.

The interplay of external and internal factors together creates conditions for resident participation. This paper identifies four major factors: impetus, politics, resources and values, describing the internal and external resources affected by each. To connect these external and internal resources, bridging resources of trust, community organizing, strategic partnerships and organizational capacity are necessary. Community planning and education make up a noteworthy bridging resource that allows for the necessary learning process to take place. Community education and planning happen in three phases: building a foundation, teaching skills, and following through.

While there is general support for resident participation in housing development, management and community-building, measuring its effectiveness has received limited research attention. This paper describes the effectiveness of resident participation looking at the individual, building and community levels. These testimonials will be strengthened if hard measures of resident participation are developed and used to study its effects. Complete listing and access info »

This is a case study of the first resident-owned community created outside of New Hampshire under the guidance of the ROC USA system, and featuring PathStone, a member of the NeighborWorks Network and a certified technical assistance provider (CTAP) for ROC USA. Complete listing and access info »

This document presents introductory information gathered on a wide range of neighborhood revitalization initiatives. Complete listing and access info »

Mixed-Income rental properties that include extremely low-income households (below 30 percent of AMI) are a valuable strategy for community health. They simultaneously address two critical challenges: housing for those most in need and desegregating poverty. Understanding how to operate mixed-income apartments profitably is important to increase the development and underwriting of these properties.

With the generous support of the Ford Foundation, NeighborWorks America undertook this study of management and marketing practices of successful mixed-income properties that have served extremely low-income families while maintaining positive cash flow for at least five years.

This report describes seven strategies used by these properties to stabilize and maintain high occupancy rates with healthy operating budgets. For each strategy, we provide concrete implementation examples. Complete listing and access info »

The negative impacts of foreclosure on communities are far reaching. Although little formal data exists on this subject, local news accounts and reports from local officials paint a multifaceted picture. Not only are people losing homes, but also communities are suffering economically, physically and socially. This report mainly focuses on areas that are hardest hit: metropolitan areas and their suburbs. We have identified the following seven impact areas for foreclosure.
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The negative impacts of concentrated foreclosures have been destabilizing communities across the country. Community development corporations (CDCs) and other nonprofits that are active in these neighborhoods face falling property values, decreased lending activity and other consequences that are complicating their efforts at community revitalization through acquisition, rehabilitation and resale of vacant and foreclosed housing stock. Given the current crisis in the housing and credit markets, community development corporations aiming for neighborhood stabilization may wish to acquire foreclosed single-family properties and operate them as scattered-site rental units instead. This study presents the challenges that nonprofits pursuing such a plan are likely to face. It discusses the main management, financing and political issues associated with developing and operating scattered-site rental housing while providing a foundation upon which CDCs considering such activities can evaluate their capacity and willingness to meet the challenges. The paper explores how local market conditions, internal organizational capacity and the current policy environment affect nonprofit efforts to acquire, rehabilitate and rent foreclosed properties. The study includes operational and advocacy recommendations for improving the context in which scattered-site rental housing can be managed. The paper also considers the unique difficulties of the current situation and concludes that comprehensive revitalization efforts that emphasize cross-sectoral partnerships and enjoy strong local government support are most likely to exert a positive impact on a community. Complete listing and access info »

Academy Homes I is a 202-unit mixed-income, mixed-race rental property located in the Jackson Square neighborhood of Boston's Roxbury district. While Roxbury's population has declined modestly (3.8 percent from 1990 to 2000), the Hispanic population has been growing steadily and Roxbury is now 63 percent Black and 24 percent Hispanic. Most (83 percent) of its residential properties are comprised of one, two and three family dwellings where the owner-occupancy rate is 61 percent. The median residential sales price in Roxbury reached $406,000 in 2003, surpassing Boston's $380,000 median sales price.

Academy Homes was built in the 1960s under HUD's 221(d)(3) program. It received upgrades to major building components (such as roofs and windows) in 2000 after the current ownership took over in 1998. It has three types of units: 43 percent are project-based Section 8; 33 percent are low income housing tax credit (LIHTC); and 24 percent are market rate. It is in a mixed-income, mixed-race urban neighborhood where residents are comfortable with economic and racial diversity. It is diagonally across the street from a rapid transit "T" station. Schools, a sizeable grocery store, shopping and restaurants are all within walking distance. It is one of several large multi-family complexes clustered in the area that total 2000 units. Complete listing and access info »

Auburn Court is a 137-unit mixed-income, mixed-race property in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The property is nearly evenly divided between market-rate (34%) and moderate-rate (16%) units and low-income (50%) units. The surrounding community is an increasingly gentrifying mixed-use neighborhood with housing, offices, MIT research facilities, a hotel, and retail shopping. The property was completed in two phases because of the slow housing market in the mid-1990s. The first phase was completed in 1996 (77 units) and the second phase was completed in 2000 (60 units). Complete listing and access info »

Cedar Beech and the two Elm Street properties make up 92 units of mixed-income, mixed-race multifamily housing in Manchester, New Hampshire. Almost half of the residents have incomes below 30 percent of area median income, while a quarter have incomes between 51 and 80 percent of median and a small number (8 percent) have incomes above 80 percent of area median income.

The properties were developed and are owned by Manchester Neighborhood Housing Services (MNHS) as part of that non-profit organization's mission to stabilize and revitalize city neighborhoods and to provide affordable housing. Cedar Beech was redeveloped and placed in service as a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and HOME property in 1994. The properties on Elm Street were placed in service in 2001 with subsidies from LIHTC, HOME, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's Affordable Housing Program. Complete listing and access info »