The Institute for Housing Sustainability (formally the Technical Assistance and Research Center for Housing Sustainability) was established with a $25,000 seed grant in December 2007 from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation. Its goal is to help UMass Lowell respond to the rapidly increasing community requests for housing technical assistance and research support. Past activities include
- providing technical assistance on affordable housing to stakeholders and the city during the Hamilton Canal District “charrette” process and action plan activities identified in the City of Lowell’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness
- researching potential impacts of the Hamilton Canal Redevelopment project on existing affordable housing, particularly in regards to Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units within the area
- engaging UMass Lowell students in collaborations with city officials and housing stakeholders to gather key housing data needed to address various local housing issues
- gathering data on the regional foreclosure problem to support efforts of the Lowell Foreclosure Prevention Taskforce
- carrying out a Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ funded project to conduct outreach and action research to assist local communities establish effective green communities and sustainable development programs.
Several current activities include
- Merrimack Valley Housing Report
A monthly publication - Lowell Healthy Homes
A HUD-funded collaboration with several local agencies to remediate potential asthma triggers, provide education related to asthma mitigation and prevention, and examine health outcomes from these interventions - Decision Models for Foreclosed Housing Acquisition and Redevelopment
An NSF funded collaborative project with UMass Amherst and UMass Boston.
For more information contact David Turcotte.