Project 1: The “all-important housing access analysis” project

Unlike other services like transport, no single number will give you a reasonably complete picture of the housing access situation. But, by gathering multiple data sources and tracking them over time, you should be able to get an idea of how much housing insecurity there is in your community. Here’s your list:

• Population Data: The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development funds “point in time” counts of the homeless population. Find the data for your local jurisdiction.
• Usage Data: Homeless shelters and soup kitchens generally keep close track of how many shelter bed nights and meals they provide. Unlike the government, they’re not necessarily obligated to give you the data, but they probably will.
• Rent Prices: Find out rent prices. There may be some local or regional website that tracks this, but you could also hop on Zillow or Craigslist on a regular basis and figure it out. Maybe take snapshot once per month and track over time what rental units cost and how many are available.
• American Community Survey: The ACS is an ongoing survey that provides vital information on a yearly basis about the United States and its people. Information from the survey generates data that help determine how more than $675 billion in federal and state funds are distributed each year. Find out income data from the American Community Survey. If you compare those findings against rental prices, you’ll know how affordable your community is.

As mentioned, this won’t be as simple an assessment as the transportation situation, but if you get these numbers, you should at least be able to tell if the situation in your community is going in a good or bad direction.