Atiya Mahmood and the
Affordable Housing team
assist first-time homeowners
in a variety of ways.

Since joining the HES College about a year ago, Mahmood and the Affordable Housing team have developed a program called HomeWorks: Maintaining Your Housing Investment. Targeted to first-time homeowners, the program discusses topics such as preventive and emergency home maintenance and repairs; being a responsible neighbor; post-purchase financial planning; home safety and security; and dealing with contractors.

The Affordable Housing program team, which Mahmood chairs with Rebecca Blocker, a regional environmental design specialist, consists of two state specialists and seven regional specialists. In March of 1999, Mahmood coordinated a training session for regional extension staff, so they can teach this program in their respective counties.

Mahmood first encountered affordable housing issues during an undergraduate architecture course in Bangladesh. One of her assignments involved interviewing families who lived in a traditional low-income neighborhood. Although the situation was hypothetical, the students suggested ways to improve the infrastructure of the homes and preserve the traditional essence of the neighborhood. Mahmood and her classmates examined issues ranging from high congestion to poor sanitation to how the family utilized their space.

After receiving an architecture degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, she came to MU and majored in environmental design. Her master's research focused on women's perceptions of their kitchens, traditionally considered a woman's domain. She is now finishing her doctorate in architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“My interest area is innovative and nontraditional housing with a focus on gender issues,” she said. “The high rate of single-parent families with women as the primary-care provider is an example of why we need to make housing more available to different people.”

In southern Missouri, poultry processing plants are moving in and increasing job opportunities. This in turn has attracted more ethnic, low-income families.

“People who need affordable housing are usually financially constrained,” she said. “You can't just provide a house. You have to plan more holistically and think about affordable communities and infrastructure.”

Her next project involves developing a program focused on affordable housing through community partnerships, whether with government agencies, area businesses or citizen groups.

For Mahmood, the most enjoyable aspect of her job is seeing how her work directly helps Missouri families. “I like seeing the direct impact for people,” said Mahmood. “After I develop something, I talk to people or teach people about it. I can go back after six months to a year and ask them what they did with that information. I find that feedback invigorating.”

She also enjoys working in the collaborative atmosphere of University Extension. “Working together in teams, we have a connection with people throughout the state.”

For more information about
Affordable Housing Programs contact:
Atiya Mahmood,
162 Stanley Hall,
University of Missouri,
Columbia, MO 65211
phone: (573) 882-3239
Fax: (573) 884=5768
E-mail: mahmooda@missouri.edu

HES Extension Site Administrator
Jeanne Bintzer
bintzerj@missouri.edu