“I really appreciate the ability to create bespoke multi-layer maps. We can build an approach once—based on the metrics that matter to us—and apply it consistently across markets. That’s been incredibly helpful for strategic decision-making.” – Ainsley Ash, Innovative Finance Senior Specialist, Grounded Solutions Network
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Challenge

Grounded Solutions Network operates in a highly localized housing landscape, where understanding neighborhood conditions is essential to preserving long-term affordability. As the organization expanded its real estate investment initiative, the team needed to efficiently assess portfolio acquisition opportunities and evaluate potential new markets. This required having access to granular data to fully understand the local demographic, affordability, and broader housing conditions. Compiling this level of insight requires time-intensive data collection and analysis. Recognizing the demands of this work, the team saw an opportunity to expand its use of PolicyMap, leveraging the platform’s data and mapping capabilities to more efficiently support research, investment strategy, and impact analysis.

Solution

PolicyMap became a central resource for Grounded Solutions Network’s Homes for the Future initiative, supporting both existing portfolio analysis and forward-looking investment strategy. For its first investment in a portfolio acquisition in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the team used PolicyMap to analyze block-group-level indicators, including racial demographics and housing insecurity. These insights helped contextualize the investment and determine which properties were located within the service areas of local Grounded Solutions member organizations. Looking ahead, Grounded Solutions Network is applying PolicyMap to exploratory market research in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Using multi-layer maps, the team is identifying communities where affordable homeownership is at risk. Overlaying these geographies with demographic, economic, and housing data provides a comprehensive view of neighborhood conditions, ensuring that any future work is aligned with the organization’s mission. Beyond market selection, the organization integrated PolicyMap data into Salesforce, creating “community profiles” to track neighborhood conditions over time. These insights will support investor reporting and help measure long-term community impact as its housing portfolio grows. [Image description: Screenshot of zip codes in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro that include a majority of homes that are appreciating and affordable to low-income households.]