Free customized data reports

In preparation for the launch of the Housing Research and Advisory Service (HRAS) later this year, a new service from the Center for Housing Policy, the Center is beta-testing the preparation of customized data reports on housing conditions at the local level. We are looking for a small number of volunteers interested in receiving a free data report to help us test this feature of the service. The reports to be available through the service include:

• Housing Trend report – Available for large cities and counties with over 500,000 households, Trend reports provide descriptive information on today’s housing stock as well as housing cost and affordability trend data over a 3-year period for a variety of income groups.

• Housing Snapshot report – Available for mid-size metro areas, cities, and counties, Snapshot reports use data collected over a 3-year period (for communities with more than 200,000 households) or a 5-year period (more than 100,000 households) to provide descriptive information on the housing stock and affordability for a variety of income groups.

• Drilldown reports explore differences in housing affordability among small areas within large metro areas, cities, and counties.

• Small Community/Custom Micro-Area reports describe households and the housing stock within a small jurisdiction (fewer than 100,000 households) or a user-defined area of almost any size (e.g., neighborhoods, wards, voting or school districts).

Please contact Keith Wardrip (kwardrip@nhc.org) by May 9th if you are interested in receiving a free report or have any questions. If requesting a report, be sure to specify which you are interested in, the location for which you would like a report produced, and how you anticipate using the report. Reports produced through this process will be posted online as sample documents, and participants will be asked to provide feedback. In general, requests will be accepted on a first come-first served basis, although we reserve the right to prioritize certain requests to ensure geographic diversity. Please note that we can produce only a limited number of free reports through this beta-testing phase.

The Housing Research and Advisory Service will provide state and local leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors with affordable resources and support as they tackle their affordable housing challenges. HRAS will provide assistance in a variety of formats: one-on-one answers to specific policy questions; online access to fact sheets, presentations, talking points, and data reports; and affordable technical assistance and consultation services. Keep an eye out for more information on HRAS in the coming months.