The Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, has launched a portal focused on housing’s role in individual and neighborhood wellbeing.

How Housing Matters offers up-to-date, searchable research and news connecting housing with topics including better educational opportunities and outcomes for children, stronger foundations for family and community economic stability and healthier, more productive individuals and neighborhoods. In addition to ULI, the National Housing Conference, Urban Institute and Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies will also provide content for the site.

The portal is managed by the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing and designed to serve as a user gateway, integrating policy papers, reports and current news articles, as well as original stories that "compellingly illustrate research and data, inform collaboration and inspire action," according to a press release.

"How Housing Matters will greatly enhance ULI’s efforts to emphasize housing as a cornerstone of communities that are healthy, prosperous and resilient," ULI Global CEO Patrick L. Phillips said in a statement. "We’re excited about the potential of this website to strengthen our knowledge-sharing initiatives related to housing, help us increase the scale and scope of our housing activities, and reinforce the connection between housing and other sectors."

The MacArthur Foundation has invested more than $25 million in research projects exploring the impact of decent, affordable housing on families and communities. The research will produce findings through 2017.