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Corrected Website Address for Improved HUD Data on Section 8 Projects
HUD now makes available at its Website the most recent data (as
of December 1997) on Section 8 projects compiled from its various information
systems. This data will be extremely useful to advocates seeking to educate
tenants, communities, and federal, state and local policymakers about Section
8 budget and policy issues.
Note: We recently listed a Website but discovered it had the Fiscal Year 1997 "Portfolio Re-engineering" data instead of the complete Section 8 projects data.
The new data covers all properties with project-based Section 8 assistance, except possibly Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation projects, regardless of the type of underlying financing. There are approximately 70 data fields per property. The projects can be sorted by characteristics or geographic location. You will need an Internet Service Provider and a database program if you do not already have them.
The new address for all of the data is:
http://www.hud.gov/fha/mfh/mfhsec8.html
Once you get to this Web page, there is an explanation of the file and you are asked to read the "disclaimer." You are then given two choices: one to browse and one to download. The browse function allows you to search for data by state, city or zipcode. The download function allows you to download the entire file. Note that this is an extremely large file and browsing and/or downloading takes a long time (allow two to four hours for downloading). The download function allows you to download four different formats (text — fixed length; text — delimited; MS Access database; and Dbase 3+). Each file ranges from three to seven megabytes (compressed executable format). The expanded format could be as large as 22 MB (MS Access format). Two of the files must then be imported into a database (e.g., Access, DBase and Paradox) capable of handling large files (approximately 70 fields/10,000 records). However, if you have Access or DBase 3+, you could download the appropriate files and open them in the respective databases. Once the file is in a database, the records can be sorted and printed as desired.
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