By Kelli Sharpe
Tennessee State University research could hold the key to affordable housing and other housing challenges facing families in Metro Nashville. TSU’s College of Public Service received a $1 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a Center of Excellence – Urban and Community Research Center (UCRC). HUD made the grant award official with a check presentation to Interim Provost Dr. Robbie Melton, during a housing roundtable hosted by TSU for Nashville’s HBCUs. Through the newly established research center, the university will study the impact of displacement and relocation from gentrifying.
Dr. Rafael Harun is the principal investigator for the grant.
“Our research will examine the impacts of gentrification-induced displacement on families and communities in the Greater Nashville Region, focusing on trends and patterns of residential mobility, housing challenges, and the effectiveness of HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program in the meeting the housing needs of vulnerable populations in the region,” Dr. Harun said.
“By employing a mixed-methods approach, the study will generate actionable solutions to improve affordable housing access, mitigate displacement effects, and promote equitable urban development.”
Dr. Rodney E. Stanley, interim dean of the College of Public Service said the grant award was a major milestone for the college and TSU
“The HUD grant is the largest received by the Urban Studies Faculty and is the largest grant ever received by the College of Public Service,” explained Dr. Stanley. “This Center of Excellence will provide valuable resources for adhering to part of the College of Public Service’s mission for research and community engagement. This is the first Center of Excellence in the College of Public Service. In turn, it will serve as an outstanding opportunity for students to work alongside faculty members in research on important public policy issues facing our urban communities. We are excited for this opportunity and we are extremely thankful to HUD for recognizing the valuable hard work that has been, and will continue to be conducted by our Urban Studies faculty.”
Dr. Kimberly Triplett and Dr. Cara Robinson are the co-principal investigators (CO-PIs) for the grant. The other Co-PIs are Dr. Reginald Archer and Dr. Shui Bin. Dr. Harun will serve as the center’s director, while Dr. Triplett and Dr. Robinson and will take on the role of co-director and community partnership manager.
Robinson is also chair of the Department of Social Work and Urban Studies. She said TSU’s urban studies program is committed to examining local issues through research and policy analysis to contribute to the local political landscape and dialogue. Robison added that the HUD award is another avenue for the program to fulfill its mission with this project.
“The project will take a quantitative and qualitative analysis of those trends and patterns and provide policy solutions for addressing the needs of those individuals and families. The Center of Excellence – the Urban and Community Research Center – will build on this research through the provision of small and large research projects in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies.”
TSU was one of two HBCUs to receive funding “to conduct research projects on topics of strategic interest to HUD and produce research that provides evidence-based solutions to housing, community development, economic development, or built environment challenges in underserved communities.”
“The Center of Excellence (COE) program at HUD is designed to support evidence-based, data-driven, and community-informed policymaking and program improvements at the local, state, and national levels,” said Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. “HUD is proud to forge new partnerships with HBCUs and invest in innovative and actionable housing and community development research that can help shape policy and deliver better outcomes for communities.”
With support from HUD, each new Center of Excellence will anchor its research around a unique set of challenges that currently impact America’s housing industry.
“Universities are anchors in their respective communities; they serve as economic drivers and thought leaders,” said Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “To build the knowledge and insights we need to drive housing policy, there’s no better place to look to than our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
HUD has previously awarded $11 million to HBCUs.