By Liz Chen, University Development
Low-income citizens nationwide face a challenge to find affordable housing that fits their needs in safe neighborhoods. This is true even for those with Section 8 vouchers, the federal Housing and Urban Development program that subsidizes rent for qualified low-income tenants.
William Rohe and Michael Webb from the Center for Urban and Regional Studies plan to bridge the gap by creating a web app for use in two North Carolina counties. Called the Housing Opportunity Finder, the app will act as a resource for more than 3,000 low-income families from Durham and Orange counties by compiling affordable, safe housing listings in “opportunity neighborhoods.”
Users will be able to filter the app’s listings to match their needs, whether it be a single mom looking for a low-crime area with a strong school system or an 85-year-old retired veteran hoping to be near a VA clinic.
Read the full story at the University Gazette to learn how these 2019 C. Felix Harvey Award winners will work to address this important community challenge, while embodying the University’s core values of community service, teamwork and integrity.
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