Affordable Housing Strategies

The development and preservation of affordable housing is a growing challenge in today’s economy. With limited resources and burgeoning demand, housing agencies and their partners must make critical decisions about their portfolios and which properties to modernize, redevelop, dispose of, or acquire for new development. EJP provides a number of services to aid in the process, including:

• Portfolio Assessment and Repositioning
• Development Feasibility Studies
• Planning and Policy Development
• Preparation of City and State Housing Strategies
• Mixed-Finance Development (including rental and for-sale housing)

HOPE VI

One of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) most ambitious and successful programs, HOPE VI revitalizes the homes, communities and lives of public housing residents. With more than 80% of our HOPE VI applications winning on first submission, the partners of EJP have the most successful application track record in the country. We have worked with more than thirty public housing authorities around the nation to plan, finance, and implement vibrant mixed-income communities. EJP's partners have been actively involved in the program since its inception and have assisted HUD in the development of creative policies and successful practices. EJP offers its clients assistance with all aspects of HUD's HOPE VI program including:

• HOPE VI Applications
• HOPE VI Program Management
• HOPE VI Community and Supportive Services Technical Assistance
• HUD Technical Assistance and Policy Development for Mixed-finance Development

Program Management and Implementation

EJP's partners have a long and successful track record assisting clients in managing multiple, interdependent components of comprehensive revitalization efforts. We excel at coordinating projects that integrate physical and social capital initiatives, and we ensure that they progress on time, on budget and on the mark in achieving objectives. Some examples of key EJP implementation efforts include:

• Providing technical assistance for the East Baltimore Development Initiative which impacts more than 800 families and is creating a 1200+ unit mixed-income, mixed-use community, including a new elementary school and a biotech park.
• In the wake of Hurricane Katrina directed the rebuilding of clinic facilities and operational improvements for health services for Coastal Family Health Center in Biloxi, MS.
• Serving as program manager for Beaumont TX 2006 HOPE VI grant, closed two rental phases and one for-sale phase after relocating residents and overseeing the delivery of case management services

Community Planning and Facilitation

Recognizing the importance and power of comprehensive neighborhood transformation, EJP partners foster community efforts to improve outcomes across a range of needs including housing, education, community services, workforce development, and health. We promote a participatory process that includes residents, city officials, supportive service providers, business owners, community leaders and members of the financial and foundation communities to create plans and policies at the local level.

Human and Social Services Initiatives

Whether providing technical assistance for responsible relocation of impacted families or designing a comprehensive case management model that emphasizes workforce development, EJP builds social capital in disadvantaged communities to ensure that positive change will be sustained long after initial program investment ends.

We design effective needs-based programs that include monitoring practices to provide ongoing feedback to stimulate and guide necessary program modifications. Our expertise in this area includes:

• Workforce Development
• Relocation Planning and Advisory Services
• HOPE VI Community and Supportive Services (CSS)
• Family Advocacy and Integrated Service Delivery to Enhance Self-sufficiency

Assessment and Evaluation

EJP uses well-designed evaluation techniques to assess the effectiveness of community-based programs. Our goal is to create a continuous learning environment so that programs can evolve in response to both anticipated and unanticipated outcomes during implementation. We work with clients and communities to clearly articulate their "Theory of Change" and describe the outcomes they expect. We then help to design an evaluation plan that incorporates data collection mechanisms which monitor the changes taking place and trigger technical assistance as needed to improve results in both the short- and long-term. Examples of our work include:

• Designing surveys and other data collection instruments
• Collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data
• Using multi-method approaches and triangulating information from multiple sources
• Providing relevant and timely feedback to ensure appropriate program adjustments