A comprehensive statewide Housing Needs Assessment is currently underway in Oklahoma. Commissioned by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the assessment will provide a comprehensive examination of housing data and trends.
“This comprehensive study of existing housing stock and future housing needs is critical as we provide financing for developers and nonprofits throughout the state,” said Andrea Frymire, vice-president for Midwest Housing Equity Group, one of many housing equity investors in Oklahoma. “Our desire is to ensure we are investing in the areas of greatest need. This assessment will provide better direction in the early stages of planning and site selection.”
Integra Realty Resources, Inc., in partnership with The University of Oklahoma’s Regional and City Planning School in the College of Architecture and DeBruler, Inc., has been contracted to complete the assessment during the 2015 calendar year. Once completed, the assessment will be comprised of an overall report for the entire state and individual reports for each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Disaster resiliency and fair housing needs will also be examined.
“The Statewide Housing Needs Assessment will provide a clear and complete picture of housing data and also allow for the strengthening of communities and the lives of Oklahomans through the financing, development, and preservation of affordable housing,” said OHFA executive director Dennis Shockley.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires each state to submit a Consolidated Plan which documents housing affordability strategy and community development plans for the state. It also serves as the application for funding under any of HUD’s Community Planning and Development formula grant programs. A Statewide Housing Needs Assessment will be a critical component of future Consolidated Plans.