Students in the Fall semester Policy and Persuasion course worked with Waterloo representatives to first identify some of the most pressing issues related to home ownership and affordability, and then to develop policy recommendations for the City moving forward.
Four student groups focused on distinct, yet overlapping housing issues:
Increasing homeownership opportunities
Supporting low-income homeowners
Creating sustainable housing rehab
Improving landlord practices
In very concise terms, the groups recommended 1) appropriate staffing for the soon-to-be-formed Housing Task Force; 2) a data-driven analysis to better understand impediments to homeownership, housing affordability, and housing rehab; 3) a more accessible database of housing resources available to residents; and 4) redesigning landlord policies.
In the following semester, a new group of students continued delving into housing policy and began the work of developing resources. The Spring 2021 recommendations and action steps can be found here: https://iisc.uiowa.edu/housing-policy-resources-part-ii.