Breaking Up the NOAH Monolith
NOAH Preservation Research
Naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) is crucial for housing affordability. Research helps identify challenges, preserve resources, and protect this vital housing stock.
In 2022, The Preservation Compact was awarded $250,000 by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to launch a two-year research project in partnership with the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University. This project, called Breaking Up the NOAH Monolith, focused on market-based strategies to preserve unsubsidized affordable rental housing, often referred to as naturally occurring affordable housing, or NOAH.
The mission of this research was to fill critical information gaps on the diverse market conditions in which NOAH exists and identify and compile effective strategies and policies that preserve this critical housing stock.
By linking effective preservation programs to specific market types using qualitative and quantitative research, this project provides valuable insights into NOAH preservation strategies in high-cost markets, low-cost markets, and the market types in between.
Project Outcomes
The Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University completed a cluster analysis of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas that created six rental market types based on the characteristics of and pressures on their NOAH stock.
Using these typologies and research of NOAH preservation tools, the Compact interviewed stakeholders from cities representing similar and different NOAH market contexts and connected these findings to the cluster analysis developed by IHS to create an interactive mapping tool: www.preservenoah.com.
Watch a tour of this innovative webtool here.
In October 2024, the Preservation Compact, The Institute for Housing Studies (IHS), and The Real Estate Center at DePaul University partnered to hold a convening as a capstone to this work. This event featured expert panels that comprehensively mapped the landscape of unsubsidized affordable housing preservation and highlighted programs and policies effective in distinct market types.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is dedicated to finding solutions that make housing more affordable so people from all backgrounds and income levels can live, work, and thrive in California. Across their work in Science, Education, and within communities, they pair technology with grantmaking, impact investing, and collaboration to help accelerate the pace of progress towards their mission