ASU receives $3M HUD grant to create center studying housing security, climate and health

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded one of its first Hispanic-Serving Institutions Research Center of Excellence grants to create the Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability, or ARCHES, which will be co-located at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, housed in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

The new center will address the interconnected issues of housing security, climate and health.

“ARCHES will seed new research infrastructure to develop evidence-based and community-partnered solutions to housing issues in Arizona’s Hispanic and other underserved communities,” said Deirdre Pfeiffer, ARCHES principal investigator and associate professor at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.

The center’s research on housing security will inform equitable housing growth and production to support Hispanic and underserved households. In relation to climate, ARCHES researchers will identify housing innovations for resilience in the arid Southwest. Finally, ARCHES researchers will study the linkages between housing and health, including how to create healthy homes and support aging communities.

ARCHES will leverage Morrison Institute’s housing expertise, building on significant policy research the institute has conducted examining homelessness and housing security in Arizona.

“I am excited to launch this center by collaborating with interdisciplinary researchers and building community partnerships to inform solutions to housing issues related to access, climate and health in Arizona and the Southwest,” said Alison Cook-Davis, co-director of ARCHES and research director of Morrison Institute.

Kimberly Winson-Geideman, clinical professor at the ASU W. P. Carey School of Business and director of the ASU Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice, will serve as a co-principal investigator and provide additional leadership to ARCHES.

“The Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice is excited to be involved in the creation of ARCHES as it furthers our objective of creating agency for underserved populations and improving housing opportunities for all Arizonans,” Winson-Geideman said.

The new center will also be co-located at the University of Arizona (UA) Drachman Institute, and will have support from 19 key personnel at ASU, UA, Northern Arizona University and University of New Mexico.

Written by Drew Gesse, manager, marketing and communications, Morrison Institute for Public Policy