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Auburn University Rural Studio’s 20K Initiative: The Key to Affordable Home Ownership

Parul Dubey on July 11, 2018 - in News

AUBURN, Ala. — Rural Studio, a student-centered Design/Build program in Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction, announces that it has begun collaboration with Fannie Mae to support the school’s ongoing development of beautiful, healthy and resilient houses that afford financially vulnerable homeowners the ability to live in dignity, security, and well within their means.

The effort, known as the 20K Initiative, aspires to enable broader access to titled homeownership in underserved rural communities. The initiative looks to support both housing and local economies in rural markets and involves collaboration with a wide range of national partnerships and municipal stakeholders. The research developed from the initiative with Fannie Mae is being shared with other industry groups and educational institutions as part of an effort to address the shortage of affordable housing across the U.S.

“Fannie Mae is committed to helping find solutions for underserved markets in the U.S.,” says Michael Hernandez, Vice President, Fannie Mae. “Auburn’s program aims to find solutions in Alabama that can be applied nationwide. The support of their research effort goes to the heart of our affordable housing mission and complements our Duty to Serve initiative, especially when it comes to addressing the shortage of affordable housing in rural America.”

Auburn University is also providing funding for the initiative through the Presidential Awards for Interdisciplinary Research, or PAIR, grant that further strengthens the collaboration with Fannie Mae, as well as supports the development of additional stakeholder collaborations.

“The 20K Initiative through Rural Studio represents Auburn’s best as a land grant institution,” says Steven Leath, President of Auburn University. “By integrating teaching, research and service, the 20K Initiative improves lives in Alabama and around the country, brings quality, sustainable home ownership to citizens and builds stronger communities. We are proud to support rural prosperity through this PAIR grant award.”

PBS NewsHour recently featured the empowering work of Rural Studio as part of its “Chasing the Dream” series. You can watch this segment through YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHMK9YzRo3c

More information:

Auburn University Rural Studio http://www.ruralstudio.org/

PAIR Project: https://cws.auburn.edu/ovpr/pm/pair

Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction www.cadc.auburn.edu

Auburn University www.auburn.edu

Fannie Mae www.fanniemae.com

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Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 29,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact. Auburn’s mission to educate, discover and collaborate drives its expanding impact on the world. www.auburn.edu

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