Innova has consulted on several research studies to discern the impact of market forces on the supply and redevelopment of affordable housing.   Our research includes:

Expanding Capacity and Speeding Production in the Basic Systems Repair Program (2005). Innova researchers studied the delivery system used by the City of Philadelphia's Basic System Repair program and made recommendation on ways to increase the number of homes served by the program and speed up the delivery of those services.   Commissioned by Women's Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) with support by the William Penn Foundation.

Affordable Housing Management and Preservation Initiative (2006).   Innova researchers examined the methods of property management and the costs and income associated with the operation of affordable housing developments to discern ways to improve the long-term economic viability of tax credit financed affordable housing.   Commissioned by Women's Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) with support by the William Penn Foundation.

Innova principals served as volunteer advisors to the Nutter for Mayor Campaign, helping to author research and policy development papers on vacant property acquisition and disposition and neighborhood economic development. An Innova principal also served in an advisory capacity to the Mayor-elect's transition team for housing.    

Innova principals also served as research advisors to two 2008 affordable housing studies commissioned by the William Penn Foundation: Effectively Preserving Philadelphia's Workforce Housing Stock; and; A Strategic Approach to Building Affordable Housing in Philadelphia.   The former study makes recommendation for ways to preserve workforce housing stock, while the latter argues for the targeted redevelopment of existing properties, using attractive and energy efficient design, in neighborhoods where other public investments are occurring to produce sustainable mixed income neighborhoods.   The studies were conducted by a team of researchers from Econsult, The Reinvestment Fund, the National Housing Institute, and May8 Consulting.

As a follow-on to this study, Innova was engaged by WCRP through a William Penn Foundation grant to develop a model for how the City’s home repair and weatherization programs can be coordinated to establish a neighborhood-focused housing preservation strategy.

Innova researchers were hired to help align the City of Philadelphia’s Weatherization Assistance Program with local utility conservation programs, and to help craft a workforce development model that enables the creation of long-lived living wage green collar jobs.