Improving Educational Opportunity for HUD-Assisted Residents

HUD is partnering with The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) to conduct a research project to evaluate interventions to improve educational opportunities for HUD-assisted residents. The research includes a small pilot that tests the effectiveness of communications (e.g. letters, emails, and phone calls) on increasing completion of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) among youth in public housing. Another component is an exploratory project to implement and evaluate interventions to increase school attendance rates among HUD-assisted youth. The results are listed below
https://oes.gsa.gov/projects/increasing-fafsa-completion-nycha/
https://oes.gsa.gov/projects/increasing-fafsa-completion-seattle-and-king-county/
https://oes.gsa.gov/projects/increasing-attendance-seattle/

Adult Mental Health Status

By analyzing the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) linked with HUD administrative data, HUD researchers are collaborating with university partners to examine the mental health status of non-elderly, HUD-assisted adults aged 18-62. Using the Kessler-6 scale, preliminary results suggest that a high number of HUD- assisted adults experience serious psychological distress. This research project seeks to examine the degree to which HUD-assisted adults with serious psychological distress experience adverse health outcomes when compared to adults without serious psychological distress.

Vision Zero Case Study in Salisbury

The Vision Zero case study of Salisbury MD, is intended to be a guide on how to plan, design and build streets to make safety a priority for all users (drivers, bikers, walkers). The case study is intended to show how small and medium size communities with limited planning budget can use Vision Zero to re-engineer streets to decrease dangerous driving conditions and encourage multi-modal usage. It provides practical ideas of creating a community friendly to pedestrians and bicycles. A presentation to city officials is available on request to Luis.F.Borray@hud.gov.

Promise Zone Implementation Evaluation Project

Promise Zones are high poverty communities where the federal government partners with local leaders to increase economic activity, improve educational opportunities, leverage private investment, reduce violent crime, enhance public health and address other priorities identified by the community. The 22 urban, rural, and tribal Promise Zones were selected through three rounds of national competition, in which applicants demonstrated a consensus vision for their community and its residents, the capacity to carry it out, and a shared commitment to specific, measurable results. Promise Zones receive priority access to federal investments that further their strategic plans, federal staff on the ground to help them navigate federal resources, and up to five full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members to recruit and manage volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the Promise Zone initiatives. The objective of this in-house Rapid Turn-around Implementation Assessment is to document the implementation and execution of the initial program structure, and to examine--at three sites, the operational effectiveness of the initial efforts at linking federal state and local entities to create positive momentum. The project report is available on request from Sarah.F.Zapolsky@hud.gov.