In 2022, Main Street America launched the "At Home on Main Street" research initiative with the generous support of the 1772 Foundation. Through this initiative, we have studied housing data from the U.S. Census, surveyed Main Street programs on the state of housing in their districts, and held a virtual convening of Main Street leaders and affiliates to discuss major issues and potential solutions.
We recently released a new resource for Main Street programs as part of this initiative: A Housing Guidebook for Local Leaders. The Guidebook is a practical and easily digestible report containing practical “how-tos” about identifying housing opportunities, keeping inventory of buildings and vacant spaces, making sense of housing finance, understanding the common code and regulatory challenges encountered with housing development and vacant space activation, and more.