Last week in Detroit, Michigan, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Terner Labs held the third session of their Housing & Technology Symposium series. This gathering brought together public officials, housing specialists, researchers, and tech experts. Additionally, HUD officials visited Minneapolis, Minnesota to spotlight pioneering affordable housing partnerships.
Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at HUD, noted, “This initiative introduces unprecedented innovations combining HUD funding with modular housing to create sustainable, energy-efficient affordable homes that blend seamlessly with the community. It incorporates various groundbreaking elements, including Minneapolis’s trailblazing comprehensive zoning reforms, to enhance community service.”
These visits mark the beginning of HUD’s “Road to Innovation” tour, steered by the Office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R). This tour will showcase innovative construction methods that increase the affordable housing supply across the nation. The collaboration with Terner Labs, initiated by former Secretary Marcia L. Fudge in 2023, is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America Agenda and the housing supply action plan, enhancing funding and resource accessibility.
The Detroit symposium focused on employing technology to foster homeownership and wealth accumulation in BIPOC communities, especially in the Midwest. The event featured presentations on credit repair and policy tools to assist the home buying journey. Solomon Greene and HUD Great Lakes Regional Administrator Diane Shelley highlighted the critical role of supporting homeownership investment.
Diane Shelley stated, “HUD is fully dedicated to advancing housing and community development, prioritizing equitable and inclusive communities and ensuring high-quality, affordable housing for everyone.”
In Minneapolis, HUD officials examined the city’s innovative public housing efforts, touring sites like one of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authorities’ Family Housing Expansion Program (FHEP) “scattered sites.” These sites utilize HUD’s Moving to Work flexibilities and project-based vouchers, adding 84 affordable family housing units through modular building and solar technologies. The tour concluded at Miro Apartments, which exemplifies the use of modular construction, Opportunity Zone funds, and solar technology to enhance housing access.
The “Road to Innovation” tour will conclude with the 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase from June 7th to 9th on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This event will feature top homebuilders, technologists, and designers demonstrating advanced methods to boost housing supply, reduce construction costs, improve energy efficiency, and lower housing expenses.
For more information, read the original press release from: https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_24_086