The Iowa Department of Economic Development and Iowa State University Community and Regional Planning Department Housing needs assessment manual: Usage and impacts within the state of Iowa

Abstract

This thesis sought to examine questions about the impacts of the IDED / Iowa State University Housing Needs Assessment Manual by examination of communities and organizations in Iowa that have utilized the manual. Since the introduction of the Housing Needs Assessment Manual, it proved to be a useful guide for cities, county's, and COG's (Council of Governments) throughout Iowa in the examination their representative housing stocks. Several communities and organizations have studied their comprehensive issues through the utilization of the Housing Needs Assessment Manual. The creation of the manual was a joint effort by the Department of Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State University and IDED (Iowa Department of Economic Development). The progress of communities and organizations that have using the manual throughout the state of Iowa has been collected and tracked for several years IDED. This study sought to answer the following questions: (1) Are the pre-selected factors of population, per capita income, median housing value, grant amount, local in-kind contribution, and local cash contribution (independent variables) positively correlated with the impacts (dependent variable) of an housing need assessment being conducted or completed? The results of statistical analysis indicated that there were no positive correlations present between any the independent variables and the dependent variables.