The LSU Public Administration Institute recently received a $1.2 million research grant from the Louisiana Housing Corporation for a study of housing needs in the state.
The study will focus on a number of different aspects that impact Louisiana residents, according to assistant professor in LSUPAI at the University and principal research investigator Roy Heidelberg.
The beginning phases of the study will focus on the population and demographic profile of the state, employment trends within each region, in and out migration in each region and current and projected availability of housing stock, Heidelberg said.
“This engagement effort will go beyond questions of housing in order to assess, for example, how a community is connected to food markets, what transportation options are available to residents, access to parks and recreation and the ability of aging populations to stay in their homes,” Heidelberg said in a news release last week.
LHC approached the University about the potential research grant, and Heidelberg said LSU’s proposal offered a more comprehensive consideration of how to investigate questions about community development.
“The LHC appreciated our vision for engaging communities directly, rather than relying exclusively upon measures from aggregate data sets,” Heidelberg said.
A major component of the grant is to develop a process for better understanding need in communities by engaging residents, he added.
Additionally, research will focus on community engagement as a method for enhancing the understanding of housing and related community needs within the state, according to Heidelberg.
He said housing assessments are vital in order to design federal and state housing policies; to have the most effective policies, it’s important that the residents of each community have the opportunity to help define and determine those.
“This is also an opportunity for LSU and LHC to develop a long-term relationship that assists LHC to use their available resources for promoting affordable housing and developing safe, sustainable communities,” Heidelberg said.
The research team consists of Heidelberg, university alumnus and co-investigator James Richardson and three research positions.
The LSUPAI is scheduled to issue its first of five years’ worth of reports June 30, 2014.