Housing

 

Preliminary Assessment of Project Management Practices of Public Housing Authorities, August 2005

This research examines the performance of selected Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in the area of Project Management. Surveys based on the critical success factors for project management were collected from fifteen PHAs throughout the U.S. Survey findings led to the development of a project management assessment system, which may be used by Housing and Urban Development or other entities to promote the use of best practices in project management in PHAs.

Jimish Gandhi

Fannie Mae Foundation 

A critical question in community development is how best to organize, fund, and otherwise support affordable housing development by nonprofit organizations. In particular, defining and measuring organizational capacity have emerged as important issues. The current study is an effort to build upon Michigan State University’s longstanding commitment to engaging university resources in mutually beneficial partnerships with community based efforts to improve the quality of life in Michigan communities. This study attempts to devise a valid and reliable instrument for describing and measuring organizational capacity. The team used this instrument to identify relationships that might exist between the components of capacity and the efficient production of affordable housing. In addition, the study identified some specific needs and opportunities for capacity building.

Organizational Capacity and Housing Production: A Study of Nonprofit Organizations in Michigan, October 2001

This research reveals how to best organize, fund, and support affordable housing developments by nonprofit organizations. Five nonprofit housing organizations in Michigan were examined using five interacting components of capacity (political, networking, resource, programmatic, and organizational). The report concludes with research-based recommendations for effectively devising and efficiently targeting training resources to build capacity of affordable housing nonprofit organizations.

Sponsored by: The Fannie Mae Foundation's University-Community Partnership Initiative and The Aspen Institute's Michigan Nonprofit Sector Research Fund

Prospects for an Affordable Housing Trust Fund in Michigan, October 2001

This policy brief examines the effectiveness of state sponsored affordable housing trust funds (a public sector tool that provides access to capital for acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of housing) in Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Arizona. Authors conclude by describing the potential benefits of establishing affordable housing trust funds in Michigan.

Christine Hall, Justin Linker, and Chris Shay, Michigan State University

Implementing a Building Rehabilitation Code in Michigan, August 2001

This report provides a brief history of the development of U.S. building codes and analyzes the impact of New Jersey's Rehabilitation Code on the availability of affordable housing. The authors conclude that Michigan communities, especially those with older housing stock, would be well-served with a rehabilitation code similar to the New Jersey code.

Matt Syal and Chris Shay, Construction Management Program, Michigan State University

Michigan's Affordable Housing Crisis, September 2001

This policy brief reviews recent changes in federal housing assistance programs and assesses the impact of these changes on low-income housing affordability in Michigan. The report includes data about the 2001 expiration of project-based subsidies organized by major city and by county and identifies future research directions to formulate an effective response to Michigan's affordable housing crisis.

John T. Metzger, Urban & regional Planning Program, Michigan State University