12-28-2009, 09:50 PM
In December 2009, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) released updated CHAS data (http://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/cp.html). One important use for this data is the development of local housing plans, including the Consolidated Plan required for HUD's formula grants such as CDBG. Because many communities are currently in the process of updating their 5 year Consolidated Plan, we rushed to release the data as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we haven't yet completed the development of an online table generating tool similar to the one in the State of the Cities Data System (SOCDS). As a result, using the CHAS data to demonstrate local housing needs may require more original analytical work than in previous years where one could simply plug the numbers into the CPMP tool.
Partially because of this, HUD is <strong>not requiring grantees to use the 2009 CHAS data in the Consolidated Plans currently being developed</strong>.
If you're still reading, you aren't particularly eager to use 9 year old Census 2000 data or to do your own survey of housing needs. This forum exists to help the CHAS data users like yourself share ideas. I will do my best to moderate the forum.
Some suggestions:
<ul>
<li>First, please consult the resources already available on HUDUser, especially the CHAS basic users guide (http://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/c...html).</li>
<li>The most useful thing to share would probably be step by step instructions for generating a particular indicator of housing need. For instance, if you've done the leg work to show what percentage of extremely low income renters have a housing problem, describe how you did it (Note: this is the example I did in the CHAS basic users guide).</li>
<li>Feel free to share more general thoughts, ideas, or questions about the CHAS data, but first consider whether they will help other CHAS users. If so, post them here. If not, email me at Paul.A.Joice@hud.gov.</li></ul>
Thanks!
-Paul