Housing Initiative at Penn (HIP)

The Housing Initiative at Penn (HIP), housed at PennPraxis, has a mission to achieve more effective and equitable housing policy at the local, state, and national levels by

1. Conducting rigorous academic and empirical research that advances evidence-based policymaking
2. Analyzing current conditions and future trends with the potential to affect housing
3. Designing and evaluating housing policies and programs
4. Facilitating honest and inclusive planning processes
5. Developing networks and partnership to advance housing strategies and goals

Current and recent projects include:

• Housing for Equity: An Action Plan for Philadelphia
  • The City of Philadelphia’s first citywide 10-year housing plan that was adopted in October 2018 and is currently being implemented.
• Cincinnati and Hamilton County Community-Wide Housing Strategy
  • A detailed strategy that engaged local stakeholders and highlights the needs and opportunities around the production and preservation of affordable housing and protections for local residents.
• Statewide Comprehensive Housing Study for the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
  • A comprehensive analysis of the State of Pennsylvania’s housing market and of demographic changes at the state, regional, and county level that will inform the agency’s policy and program decisions.
• Study on Asian and Latino/a Philadelphians’ Access to Housing Resources
  • A detailed study that involved interviews with 26 stakeholders and 4 focus groups with residents to identify the barriers that Asian and Latino/a residents of Philadelphia face when accessing housing on the private market as well as housing assistance from local government.
• Voucher lottery waitlist study
  • A comprehensive study of the Los Angeles Housing Authority’s 2017 lottery for Section 8 vouchers that uses administrative data, surveys, and interviews to provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the outcomes of this lottery.

Visit the HIP website.