Policy Publications

The PA Fresh Food Financing Initiative: Case Study of Rural Grocery Store Investments
This TRF study examines the long-term impact of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) on rural grocery stores. With support provided by the Convergence Partnership Fund of Tides Foundation, TRF collected qualitative and quantitative data from FFFI-financed stores in counties in the northern and southwest/southcentral parts of Pennsylvania. TRF gathered information from store owners on how FFFI financing had affected their ability to access credit, stay in business, carry new lines of products (including fresh foods and produce) and stimulate economic activity in their communities. This document summarizes the findings. 

TRF's 2011 Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) analysis estimates that 24.6 million Americans live in areas with inadequate access to supermarkets. This analysis was conducted with support from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund), as part of its Financing Healthy Food Options Track, in partnership with Opportunity Finance Network. Read the summary report to understand the analysis and read highlights or download the full report. See results of this analysis at www.policymap.com or www.trfund.com/TRF-LSA-widget.html. (2012)

TRF's 2010 analysis to identify areas with inadequate access to supermarkets. TRF first used this methodology for a study based on a 13-state sample and later conducted a broader study using data from the entire nation. Read about TRF's methodology. (2010)

Reinvestment Brief - The Economic Impact of Supermarkets on Their Surrounding Communities
An analysis of the impact of new supermarket development on consumers and their surrounding communities. The study looks at three potential impacts: improved real estate value, new investment and lower prices. (2006)

Research Brief: What if Pennsylvania Had Not Had HEMAP?
TRF conducted an analysis of Pennsylvania’s recently closed Homeowner’s Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) with support from the William Penn Foundation. The summary findings include that from 2008 to 2010, HEMAP saved more than 6,100 Pennsylvania homeowners from foreclosure and the number of homes saved from foreclosure by HEMAP amounted to between 4.6% and 5.1% of the total inventory of homes in foreclosure. The report also found that the program averted a combined $480 million in financial impact of foreclosures. Most impact, more than $300 million, accrued to lenders/servicers doing business in Pennsylvania. An estimated $119 million accrued to local governments, $44 million to homeowners in foreclosure and $9 million to their neighbors. Read the research brief for more. Detailed tables showing each county, state House district and state Senate district are available for download. (2012)

Philadelphia Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program: Initial Report of Findings
With grants from the Open Society Institute and the William Penn Foundation, TRF assessed the outcomes and impacts of the Philadelphia Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program. As part of the stydy, TRF reviewed Court Orders on nearly 16,000 cases handled by the Diversion Program from inception through March of 2011 and conducted interviews with homeowners as well as experts. Read the Executive Summary on the report for an overview. View media coverage of the report findings on the news page. (2011)

Impacts of Changes in the Home Mortgage Market on Hispanic Homeowners in Pennsylvania and Delaware
Commissioned by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, TRF studied the impact of changes in the housing and mortgage markets on Hispanics in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The analysis focuses in Berks, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania and New Castle County in Delaware. Together these counties are home to more than 60% of the Hispanics in the region.  Also included in this study was a review of the available housing counseling resources, and counseling specifically available to those persons for whom Spanish is their primarily language. TRF’s research partner on this project is the National Council of La Raza (2009).

Subprime Lending, Mortgage Foreclosures and Race: How far have we come and how far have we to go?
A paper commissioned by Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity that explores the civil rights aspect of foreclosures. The paper draws from TRF’s work in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and looks at the role deregulation and the lack of federal law enforcement played in creating the subprime lending and mortgage foreclosure crisis. (2008)

Subprime Mortgage Lending in the District of Columbia: A Study for the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
An increase in the delinquency rate for all mortgages in the District of Columbia over the past year have resulted in more home foreclosures. Foreclosures can have a negative imact on neighborhoods and the entire city. This study offers an overview of subprime lending; a look at subprime lending in DC; and recommendations for how DC can help current and future borrowers. (2008)

Mortgage Foreclosure Filings in Pennsylvania
TRF's in-depth study of mortgage foreclosure filings in Pennsylvania. The study was conducted for the Pennsylvania Department of Banking, expanding on TRF’s analysis from 2004 of the foreclosure epidemic in the Poconos’ Monroe County. (2005)

A Study of Mortgage Foreclosure Activity in Monroe County, Pennsylvania 2000-2003
TRF's thorough analysis of foreclosures in Monroe County, PA's second fastest growing county, provides the facts for State action on the crisis. See the core report or a summary presentation. (2004)

Update on Housing and Homeownership in Cumberland and Perry Counties in PA
Summary of TRF's research for the Redevelopment and Housing Authorities of the County of Cumberland (RHACC), which involved gathering and analyzing housing and economic data descriptive of Cumberland and Perry counties. The data ia also tabulated and mapped / charted in an accompanying presentation. This Summary Report is designed to provide background on the: 1) data sources; 2) general findings; and 3) identification of specific trends worthy of special interest to the RHACC. (2009)

Impacts of Changes in the Home Mortgage Market on Hispanic Homeowners in Pennsylvania and Delaware
Executive Summary of TRF's research for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). It examines how Hispanic homeowners in the FHLB and PHFA market areas have been impacted by the downturn in the real estate and mortgage markets. This summary and a presentation of the findings was shared by Ira Goldstein at the Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks' Annual Meeting.(2010)

Reinvestment Brief - NRLP: Assessing Impact
A TRF case study that examines the social and economic impacts of rental housing developed in a section of West Philadelphia by Neighborhood Restorations (NRLP), TRF’s largest affordable housing borrower. (2005)

Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh: Market Scan
TRF's research brief for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB). It was designed to provide the FHLB with a set of market data descriptive of its market area: the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. This brief includes a summary review of data and a concluding discussion of what these data suggest for the FHLB market going forward. (2007)

Understanding the Low African American Homeownership Rate in Southwestern Pennsylvania
TRF's study for Housing Opportunities, Inc., with funding from The Heinz Endowments. This report seeks to answer critical questions regarding the low rates of African American homeownership in Southwestern Pennsylvania. (2004)

Choices in Pennsylvania – Developing a Rational Framework for Housing Investment in Pennsylvania
An in-depth study of Pennsylvania’s housing market. Providing a basis for creating the State’s housing development strategy, the report focuses on the critical issues of community stability and public investment. (2000)

Choices: A Report on the State of the Region’s Housing Market
A course of action for rebuilding the Philadelphia region’s real estate market while seeking more regional activity around housing affordability. (2001)

Workforce and Economic Development 2002: An Agenda for Pennsylvania’s Next Governor
This gubernatorial campaign briefing paper outlines six major workforce system reforms designed to align the Commonwealth’s billion-dollar workforce system with its economic development objectives. The paper includes a summary of Pennsylvania’s entire workforce system listing federal and state funding sources, major clients, and selected outcomes for 49 different programs.

Workforce 2002: Measuring What Matters
This report argues that Pennsylvania needs a comprehensive performance management approach to its workforce programs so that they can be effectively evaluated and improved. The report proposes an evaluation framework and a model for an Annual Report on Pennsylvania’s Workforce Investment System.

Workforce 2001: Responding to the Challenge
This report provides quantitative and qualitative data to forecast employer hiring needs in information technology and customer service occupations. It concludes that both these occupations cut across all industries and that the demand for these workers would continue based on favorable economic growth.

Workforce 2000: An Annual Report on the Greater Philadelphia’s Labor Market
This report analyzed the demand for and supply of labor in the Philadelphia region and described the gaps that need to be addressed.

Workforce 2000: Regional Challenges & Strategic Initiatives
This report outlined five major workforce issues in the Philadelphia region and proposed five initiatives to address these issues.

CDFI Financing of Supermarkets in Underserved Communities - A Case Study: A Study by The Reinvestment Fund
This study examines whether (or the extent to which) there are economic reasons for the lack of supermarkets in distressed urban areas, such as location-dependent expense differences between urban and suburban locations. We also explore how various financing strategies help to mitigate those expense differences. Finally, we assess some of the impacts of supermarket development in urban and other underserved places. A full report can be found here. (2008)

Estimating the Percentage of Students Income-Eligible For Free and Reduced Price Lunch: A Study by The Reinvestment Fund for the School District of Philadelphia
This report presents the findings of a study designed to estimate the percent of Philadelphia public school students who are income-qualified for free or reduced price lunches. Eligibility was based on the United States Department of Agriculture’s “Income Eligibility Guidelines.” A summary of the report can be found here. (2008)

TRF Lecture on Economic Markets: TRF Lecture on Economic Markets and Public Purpose featuring Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com. Mr. Zandi spoke on the foreclosure crisis and fielded questions on the subject from the audience. Mr. Zandi is on TRF's Policy Advisory Board and Board of Directors. (2008)

Flight (or) Fight: Metropolitan Philadelphia and Its Future
Metropolitan Philadelphia is a place with extraordinary assets. It should be a region of choice, but it's not. Our region has seen minimal population growth and alarmingly low job growth. What's growing most rapidly is sprawl, and it’s hurting our region. It's time to think differently and make some big, positive changes.

The Fight for Metropolitan Philadelphia: An Agenda
A follow-up to Flight or Fight, this agenda proposes three tangible state policy shifts that would have an immediate and significant impact on the region's growth patterns: reducing Philadelphia's wage tax, encouraging redevelopment of our older communities; and targeting state funding in and around communities with existing infrastructure rather than subsidizing the creation of new infrastructure on rural lands.

Update on Housing and Homeownership in Cumberland and Perry Counties in PA
The Redevelopment and Housing Authorities of the County of Cumberland (RHACC) contracted with TRF to gather and analyze housing and economic data descriptive of Cumberland and Perry counties. The data is tabulated and mapped / charted in this presentation. A summary of the report is also available. (2010)

Impacts of Changes in the Home Mortgage market on Hispanic Homeowners in Pennsylvania and Delaware
A presentation by TRF's Ira Goldstein as part of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berk's Annual Meeting. The research was completed for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). The presentation examines how Hispanic homeowners in the FHLB and PHFA market areas have been impacted by the downturn in the real estate and mortgage markets. An executive summary of the report is also available. (2010)

Update on Mortgage Lending and Foreclosure: a local and national overview.
A presentation by TRF's Ira Goldstein as part of Picking Up the Pieces: Partnering with Faith-based Organizations to Respond to the Housing Crisis presented to the Homeownership Counseling Association of Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporation, and the Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives.

TRF estimates that 25 million US residents (8.1%) live in areas with inadequate access to supermarkets. TRF first used this methodology for a study based on a 13-state sample and later conducted a broader study using data from the entire nation. Read about TRF's methodology. (2010)

Reinvestment Brief - NRLP: Assessing Impact
A TRF case study that examines the social and economic impacts of rental housing developed in a section of West Philadelphia by Neighborhood Restorations (NRLP), TRF’s largest affordable housing borrower. (2005)

Reinvestment Brief - Free Tax Assistance Program
A study of the Free Tax Assistance program TRF offered employees of its portfolio companies. In addition to tax preparation, the program helped low-income wage earners claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) they were eligible for. This study examines the effectiveness of the program. (2005)