The National Housing Preservation Database (NHPD) is a nationwide database of federally assisted rental housing properties used by housing organizations, policymakers, researchers, and advocates nationwide to better understand affordable housing stock, preservation risk, and long-term housing trends.
Earlier this year, the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC), the research division of HAI Group, and its partner, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, invited NHPD users to share how they use the database in their day-to-day work. This blog is part of an ongoing series highlighting real-world examples of how organizations are putting NHPD data into action.
For Toni Akin, commissioner at the Providence Housing Authority, the NHPD has become an important tool for monitoring federally assisted housing properties, understanding preservation risks across Rhode Island, and supporting conversations around affordable housing preservation and subsidy expiration timelines.
How Providence Housing Authority uses the NHPD
As commissioner at the Providence Housing Authority, Akin’s responsibilities include oversight of public contracts, capital improvements, maintenance efforts, and stewardship of the organization’s public housing portfolio. Her work also includes supporting long-term affordable housing preservation efforts across the community.
“As someone who grew up in public housing, affordable housing preservation is personal to me, and it is a key component of my work focus,” Akin said.
She began using the NHPD through her role as a sustaining member of the National Leased Housing Association (NLHA), where she was introduced to the database as a tool for understanding federally assisted housing across HUD and USDA programs.
“The NHPD has helped me gain an accurate picture of federally assisted housing by combining HUD and USDA programs in one system,” she said.
Among the most valuable data points she monitors are expiration dates, physical condition assessments, and loan maturity dates for federally assisted housing properties. These indicators can help identify properties that may be at risk of leaving the affordable housing inventory in the coming years.
Her review of exit risk data for HUD-sponsored programs in Rhode Island raised concerns about a potential reduction in Section 8 programs, reinforcing the need for stronger oversight and proactive preservation planning.
Why preservation data matters in Rhode Island
Preservation risk data can help housing organizations, policymakers, and community stakeholders better understand where affordability is at risk and where intervention is needed before housing is lost.
“Preservation is often more cost-effective than building new affordable housing,” said Kelly McElwain, director of research at PAHRC. “Having access to centralized housing data helps organizations proactively identify preservation risks and trends, target resources to properties in need of preservation more effectively, and make more informed, strategic policies and investment decisions.”
The NHPD includes information on federally assisted rental properties nationwide and is used by housing authorities, researchers, advocates, developers, and policymakers to better understand the affordable housing landscape.
Cate Asp, research analyst at PAHRC, said examples like Providence Housing Authority demonstrate how data can support both strategic planning and broader community conversations.
“Tools like the NHPD help connect stakeholders to housing data that supports real-world decision-making,” Asp said. “Whether organizations are planning for long-term preservation, identifying at-risk properties, or informing policy discussions, having accessible data helps strengthen those efforts.”
Advice for others using the NHPD
Akin encourages other housing professionals and policymakers to use the NHPD in their own work, especially as communities across the country continue to face growing preservation challenges. She noted that Rhode Island’s affordable housing portfolio continues to age, while many properties face contractual expiration and maturing mortgages. Combined with rising rents and an increasingly competitive rental market, she believes proactive preservation planning is more important than ever.
As housing organizations nationwide continue working to preserve affordable housing stock, stories like Providence Housing Authority’s highlight how data tools like the NHPD can support earlier intervention, more informed planning, and stronger preservation strategies before affordability is lost.
Explore the NHPD to access property-level data, preservation risk insights, and affordable housing trends nationwide.
Are you using the NHPD in your work? We want to hear from you. Share how your organization is using the database for preservation planning, policy, advocacy, research, housing navigation, or other efforts for a chance to be featured in an upcoming blog in this series.
