How do you use data and evidence to inform your housing policies and strategies?

1 Define your goals and objectives

The first step is to define your goals and objectives for your housing policies and strategies. What are the main problems or gaps that you want to address? What are the desired outcomes or benefits that you want to achieve? How do they align with your broader vision and values for your community? Your goals and objectives should be clear, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They should also reflect the input and feedback of your stakeholders, such as residents, housing providers, developers, advocates, and other agencies.

2 Collect and analyze relevant data

The second step is to collect and analyze relevant data to assess the current and projected housing situation in your community. You can use various sources and methods of data collection, such as census, surveys, administrative records, interviews, focus groups, mapping, and modeling. You should aim to gather data on the supply, demand, affordability, quality, diversity, accessibility, and sustainability of housing, as well as the characteristics, preferences, and needs of your population. You should also analyze the data to identify the trends, patterns, gaps, disparities, and opportunities in your housing market.

3 Evaluate your existing policies and strategies

The third step is to evaluate your existing policies and strategies to determine their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You can use various tools and frameworks of evaluation, such as logic models, performance indicators, benchmarks, cost-benefit analysis, and impact assessment. You should aim to measure the effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and relevance of your policies and strategies, as well as their unintended consequences and external factors. You should also compare your policies and strategies with the best practices and innovations in other jurisdictions.

4 Develop and prioritize your options

The fourth step is to develop and prioritize your options for your housing policies and strategies. You can use various techniques and processes of option generation, such as brainstorming, scenario planning, stakeholder consultation, and multi-criteria analysis. You should aim to generate a range of feasible, creative, and evidence-based options that address your goals and objectives, as well as the needs and preferences of your population. You should also prioritize your options based on their expected impacts, costs, risks, and trade-offs.

5 Implement and monitor your policies and strategies

The fifth step is to implement and monitor your policies and strategies. You can use various methods and mechanisms of implementation, such as action plans, budgets, timelines, roles and responsibilities, partnerships, and communication. You should aim to execute your policies and strategies in a timely, coordinated, and transparent manner, as well as to address any challenges or barriers that may arise. You should also monitor your policies and strategies to track their progress, outputs, and outcomes, as well as to collect feedback and data for evaluation.

6 Review and update your policies and strategies

The sixth step is to review and update your policies and strategies. You can use various approaches and cycles of review and update, such as annual reports, audits, reviews, and revisions. You should aim to evaluate your policies and strategies based on the data and evidence collected from the previous steps, as well as the changing context and conditions in your community. You should also update your policies and strategies based on the findings and recommendations from the evaluation, as well as the input and feedback from your stakeholders.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?