More than one-third of households in Tucson are considered housing cost burdened.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is giving Arizona’s public universities $3 million to establish a new center for housing and community development research.
The new center will be co-located at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University but will receive support from 19 personnel from institutions like Northern Arizona University and the University of New Mexico. The Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability (ARCHES) will address the intersection of housing security, climate, and health.
“I am excited to launch this center by collaborating with interdisciplinary researchers and building community partnerships to inform solutions to housing issues related to access, climate, and health in Arizona and the southwest,” Alison Cook-Davis, research director of Morrison Institute at ASU and co-director of ARCHES, said in a press release.
The federal initiative is specifically targeting Hispanic Serving Institutions with the goal to better understand issues in the region like housing security in Hispanic communities, access to homeownership, and evaluating shared equity homeownership.
“It is fitting that we are making this announcement as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month,” HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said. “HUD is committed to working with our partners in Hispanic communities to ensure access to affordable, fair, and safe housing and homeownership opportunities. These grants assist Hispanic Serving Institutions in achieving this goal."
The grant to Arizona's universities is one of four going towards Hispanic-serving institutions. The grants total $10.5 million to create the new centers across the country.
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