Evolving Challenges for Community Housing Development Organizations

Author: Marlene O'Meara

Dissertation School: University of Texas at Arlington

Abstract:

The proposed research study is a qualitative analysis of Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) in the Dallas, Texas, area. A CHDO is a nonprofit, community-based service organization whose primary purpose is to provide and develop decent, affordable housing for the community it serves. The purpose of the study is to investigate challenges and opportunities that CHDOs encounter and to develop a workable model of what makes a CHDO successful. One criteria of success is defined as undertaking and completing projects within 12 months of the HOME project commitment. The preliminary hypothesis of the research study is, “CHDO success is determined by organizational capacity.” Some characteristics of organizational capacity include: good business planning, sufficient capital, technical expertise, strong leadership, and staffing.

The primary research study focus will be on 29 CHDOs in the Dallas Metroplex; however, national and state trends will also be compared during the course of the study. Since the CHDO program started in 1992, very little research has been done to determine how a CHDO can become more effective or reach a point of long-term viability. Understanding the perspectives of participating jurisdictions (PJs), CHDO organizational leaders and HUD staff will be an important part of the study to raise questions that address issues, problems, and environmental factors that have not been thoroughly investigated in the literature.

The data collection and investigation process will include a) interviews, b) surveys, c) focus group meetings, d) observation, e) review of CHDO organizational documents, f) Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) analysis, g) collection and review of federal and local program information, h) literature review, and i) gathering of HUD national and state audit information to determine trends.

The study will document CHDO current practices, challenges and opportunities that impact the success of community-based development providing policymakers and participating jurisdiction CHDO managers with a basis as to how to best support CHDOs. It will also be useful information to establish a starting point for shared information and the development of strategies to promote successful CHDOs that expand decent affordable housing in their neighborhoods. An important component of the research is to share the information locally and through publication and conferences in the hopes that it will prompt further discussion among policymakers, public regulatory managers, CHDO organizational leadership, affordable housing developers, students, and scholars in the field of this very important topic.

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