New Features Available to Help You Preserve Affordable Housing
Thanks to generous support from HAI Group, the user interface of the National Housing Preservation Database was updated to incorporate new variables, prepackaged extracts, enhanced user features in September 2017. Data processing updates were also made to improve data accuracy and reduce the number of duplicate properties in the database. High level descriptions of the new features and processing changes are described below. For detailed information on all new fields that were added and processing changes that were made, please see the Data Dictionary Changes for the 2017 Redesign. Users previously registered for the NHPD can access the new database by re-registering for the database here.
New Features
- Enhanced filtering capabilities.
- New export options that allow users to download subsidy records and subsidy records below property records.
- New pre-packaged data extracts, including inactive properties.
- New variables, including fair market rent, occupancy rate, target tenant type, census tract, percent of extremely low-income residents, bedroom unit mix counts, construction type, construction year, and subsidy status description.
- Addition of Section 514 Direct Loans and state subsidy data for Florida, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
- New story map that displays property locations of all properties in the database color coded by subsidy type, subsidy status, latest subsidy expiration date, and earliest subsidy start date.
Processing Changes Made to Improve Accuracy
- Creation of ‘inconclusive’ subsidy status category for subsidies with missing or unverifiable data.
- Updated automated address cleaning procedure that reduces the number of duplicate properties. The new procedure is described here.
- Updated process to identify inactive Section 515 Direct Loans, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, HUD Insured Mortgages, and Section 8 Project Based Rental Assistance subsidies. To view the new Data Dictionary that annotates which fields are newly added or modified during the 2017 database redesign, click here.
- Replacement of Restriction Clause Expiration Date with the projected property exit date to determine the subsidy end date of Section 515 Direct Loans.
- Revision to the calculation of subsidy end date for LIHTC subsidies. LIHTC subsidies are now automatically assumed to have a subsidy end date 30 years past the year the tax credit was placed in service.
- Inclusion of newly available geocoded property level information to increase the number of properties with valid latitudes and longitudes.
Other Updates
- New registration process that requires a password.
- New resources to support advocacy efforts.
- New Preservation Profiles that can be used to educate the general public and lawmakers about the need for affordable housing and preservation funds.