About IHS

The Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) is a research center situated in the Real Estate Center at DePaul University. IHS’s mission is to provide reliable, impartial, and timely data and research to inform housing policy decisions and discussions about the state of housing in the Chicago region and nationally. IHS’s work in particular focuses on affordable housing issues and understanding the changing dynamics of neighborhood housing markets.

The Institute examines a range of housing issues including housing affordability, housing finance, homeownership, sustainable neighborhood redevelopment, and emerging trends. IHS’s research:

  • Explores and documents often rapidly changing conditions in local housing markets
  • Influences local and national policy decisions
  • Measures the impact of interventions
  • Raises awareness of emerging housing issues

IHS accomplishes this mission through:

  • Data Collection - IHS manages an extensive Data Clearinghouse that brings together public and private data on housing market activity. Datasets include transaction level data on property sales, mortgage recordings, foreclosure activity, property listing and sales, rents, property characteristics, and the government-assisted housing inventory in Cook County. These data allow IHS to conduct in-depth, micro-level analysis of housing market trends.
  • Research - IHS mines the rich housing data collected in its Data Clearinghouse to produce research that informs the local and national policy debates around affordable housing and the health of neighborhood housing markets. IHS generates a diverse set of research products that range from academic working papers to more applied research reports, policy briefs, and fact sheets.
  • Community Engagement - IHS builds and maintains strong relationships with key local and national housing stakeholders. These active relationships inform the Institute’s research and connect IHS’s work to housing policy and practice. The Institute provides a platform for the ongoing discussion of evolving housing issues and policies through meetings, conferences, and its web site. IHS also provides technical assistance to government agencies, community-based organizations, and other housing practitioners.

The Institute for Housing Studies is proud to be the Chicago partner organization for the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP). The National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP) is a learning network, coordinated by the Urban Institute, of independent organizations in 30 cities that share a mission to ensure all communities have access to data and the skills to use information to advance equity and well-being across neighborhoods