New Updates on The Edge

PD&R’s online magazine, The Edge, provides you with a snapshot view of our newly released research, periodicals, publications, news, and commentaries on housing and urban development issues. Stay informed on current topics and check back frequently, as our content is routinely updated.

Message from PD&R Leadership: The First Session of the UN-Habitat Assembly: Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities

In the leadership message, director of PD&R’s International and Philanthropic Affairs Division Cynthia Campbell discusses the first session of the universal United Nations Habitat (UN-Habitat) Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Held in May 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya, more than 2,900 delegates from 127 countries attended the assembly. Campbell describes her experiences on the U.S. negotiation team, provides an account of the nearby informal settlement of Kibera, and showcases several of the resolutions discussed during the session.

Featured: How Partnerships Outside of HUD Address Homelessness

During Solutions for Homeless Adults: A National Conference, hosted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in February 2019, speakers discussed non-HUD-affiliated efforts to address homelessness and interconnected issues at a panel titled “Innovations in Housing: Working Outside of HUD to Create New Opportunities.” The three participants explained their organizations’ efforts to address homelessness in Chicago, Portland, and the state of California, with strategies that go beyond the use of federal funding.

In Practice: Affordable Housing for Seniors in Woodbridge, New Jersey, Helps Honor Town’s Veterans

Dalina Manor, a three-story residential building opened in 2017, provides 57 units of affordable housing to seniors aged 55 and older in the Hopelawn neighborhood of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. Built on the former site of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, the project incorporated design elements from the previous building and includes a dedicated meeting space for VFW members alongside its other amenities. The $11.6 million development has five units reserved for seniors exiting homelessness.

Trending: Learning about Data Use in Pay for Success through the HUD-DOJ Demonstration

Social science analyst Marina Myhre of PD&R’s Program Evaluation Division discusses the December 2018 report titled “Data Use and Challenges in Using Pay for Success to Implement Permanent Supportive Housing: Lessons From the HUD-DOJ Demonstration,” in the Trending article. Pay for Success (PFS) is a mechanism by which local jurisdictions work with private investors to fund interventions for specific problems, such as homelessness. Myhre addresses questions about a PFS approach and the data needed to evaluate it.