Home Insecure – �鶹��Ƶ

Tenant Discrimination in Housing Related Matters

Ada Inman — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:27:55 +0000

In this project, the student worked with State College Borough on investigating claims of tenant and housing discrimination, analyze current policies regarding housing, and determine any gaps in current policies or ordinances period from that research the student plans to establish a clear set of ways to bridge these gaps in knowledge or in justice and determine goals and outcomes to disseminate information.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Emily Vargo
Assistant Clinical Professor of Public Policy
eav5053@psu.edu

Housing Burden and Health in State College Borough

Ada Inman — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:17:54 +0000

State College Borough is home to a significant transient population consisting of many students who live off campus. This has created a strong demand for rental housing that has resulted in ever increasing rents. This in turn have displaced low-income workers in the Borough. The Borough of State College is interested in data relating to the affordability of rental properties in the borough, trends in the rental market, and discrimination as experienced by students and other tenants. For this project, student develop and test a survey tool to collect the appropriate data to better understand the rental market in State College.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Louisa Holmes
Associate Professor of Geography and Demography
lmholmes@psu.edu
814-865-1596

Understanding Homelessness (1/2)

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:36:55 +0000

In recent years, there has been a perceived increase in homelessness in Apache Junction. The 2017 Point in Time (PIT) count tallied 43 sheltered or unsheltered homeless individuals in the city on a single night in January. Apache Junction’s services for such individuals are limited and divided by county lines that bisect the city. Further, when the GenesisProject—a nonprofit that provides free food—moved to Apache Junction’sdowntown, some nearby businesses were worried the presence of homeless people would deter customers.

The Apache Junction Empowerment Group was formed in 2015 and the Chronic Homeless Subcommittee in 2016 to work toward addressing and preventing homelessness in Apache Junction. Despite the contributions of these two groups, the city is still grasping to understand how the public perceives homelessness and what services are needed by its homeless population and those at risk of homelessness. In the fall of 2017, the PUP 571 Socio-economic Planning and PAF 509 Public Affairs Capstone courses enlisted in Arizona State University’s Project Cities program to help Apache Junction comprehend these issues and make decisions about what to do next. The students in PUP 571 looked outward for insight, researching peer communities around the United States with similarities to Apache Junction and interviewing their leadership about successful strategies for addressing homelessness.

Students in this course looked to peer communities around the country for best practices for addressing homelessness. To choose communities, they searched for those with characteristics like climate, population, and an unemployment rate that were similar to those of Apache Junction, as well as communities making promising strides, which they then vetted with Apache Junction staff to determine which seemed most promising. From interviews with leaders in the selected peer communities, their findings indicated that successful strategies make use of federal programs and funding, encourage collaboration and data sharing, involve the community, locate services prudently, and educate law enforcement.

Understanding Homelessness (2/2)

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:36:13 +0000

The Apache Junction Empowerment Group was formed in 2015 and the Chronic Homeless Subcommittee in 2016 to work toward addressing and preventing homelessness in Apache Junction. Despite the contributions of these two groups, the city is still grasping to understand how the public perceives homelessness and what services are needed by its homeless population and those at risk of homelessness. In the fall of 2017, the PUP 571 Socio-economic Planning and PAF 509 Public Affairs Capstone courses enlisted in Arizona State University’s Project Cities program to help Apache Junction comprehend these issues and make decisions about what to do next. PAF 509 students focused on Apache Junction, interviewing residents and analyzing data related to their specific topics, then presenting recommendations specific to the city’s context.

Individual students in this course each produced a capstone report for their master’s degrees focused on specific aspects of homelessness in Apache Junction and related topics, such as funding opportunities or health concerns. Each chose customized investigative approaches including surveying residents and analyzing data. Based on their research methods, the students generated their own findings and recommendations. The themes that emerged for recommendations included:1) providing shelter; 2) prioritizing transportation; 3) encouraging collaboration between service providers, the city, and neighboring municipalities; and 4) increasing public awareness.

Understanding Homelessness

Victor Manzanilla — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 23:26:29 +0000

The UniverCity Year program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an �鶹��Ƶ member, was created to help local government and community partners with identified sustainability and livability projects. Participating University faculty would incorporate community-identified projects into classes, providing students with on-the-ground experience in working towards a more sustainable and livable future for the partnered community.

During the 2016 to 2017 academic year, the City of Monona was chosen to partner with the UniverCity Year program due to its proximity to the university and for strong support from Mayor Bob Miller ().

The City of Monona, Wisconsin, is a small community within Dane County with almost 8,000 residents. The city has many amenities to offer its population, from being located seven miles from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to offering access to “over 330 acres of green space, including parks, woodlands, and wetlands.” () However, after more properties were annexed into the region during the mid-20th century, Monona could no longer expand.

Now the oldest community in Dane County, the City of Monona is “seeking solutions to its aging housing stock, how to grow without the ability to expand, and how to preserve its small-town community feel and natural resources during redevelopment” ().

UW-Madison faculty adapted thirty courses—from disciplines including public affairs, population health, life science communication, civil engineering, geography, and urban & regional planning—for the UniverCity Year partnership with Monona, which integrated various sustainability and livability projects, including efforts to:

Increase the usability of public parks
Ensure biking and walking routes are safe and accessible to all
Improve the city’s digital resources for residents
Inform redevelopment goals which address resident health and housing opportunities

Thanks to this extensive collaboration, the UniverCity Year program—administrative staff, professors, and undergraduate and graduate students—provided innumerable support to the City of Monona, resulting in considerable “on-the-ground impact and momentum for a community working toward a more sustainable and livable future” ().

ASU faculty and students help Apache Junction develop local histories and plans for a sustainable future

Ada Inman — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 10:21:34 +0000

A relatively young city rich in natural resources, assets, and Western histories, the has a lot to offer to their residents and tourists. However, local concerns surrounding seasonal tourism, homelessness, and solid waste management led the city to consider ways they could improve the overall experience for their entire population.

Apache Junction partnered with Arizona State University’s (ASU) Project Cities to dive into these issues and more. As member of the �鶹��Ƶ, Project Cities “connects higher education with local communities” () to co-create sustainable solutions which progress cities toward a better future. Apache Junction invited 12 ASU faculty, and 213 graduate-, and undergraduate-level students, to bring the university’s expertise and resources to assist the city in its goal to reach a more sustainable future, all while celebrating its local history.

Watch the video about the partnership between Project Cities and Apache Junction!