Request for Proposals

This research will conduct an original survey of adults in the workforce to provide a comparison between rural and urban areas. It will include an examination of the characteristics and needs of people who live and work in rural areas, their mobility patterns and likelihood of staying, and what attracts and keeps residents and workers in rural areas.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Conduct a survey of adults ensuring a representative sample from rural and urban areas.
• Provide an analysis of the following factors for adults in the active workforce:
• job satisfaction,
• community satisfaction,
• quality of life satisfaction,
• financial satisfaction,
• likelihood of relocation over the next five years,
• likelihood of changing jobs or career over the next five years, and
• other relevant measures.
• Provide an analysis of the following factors for inactive (not employed) adults:
• reason(s) for being out of the workforce,
• length of time in an inactive status,
• quality of life satisfaction,
• financial satisfaction, and
• likelihood of entering active workforce over the next five years.
• Identify the key factors that influence decisions to:
• remain in current position and employment status or seek a change,
• remain working or inactive in current location or area, and
• retain residence in current community.
• Provide public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

A key service in local communities is the availability of emergency medical treatment, including ambulances, emergency responders, and EMTs. This study will assess the adequacy of the current workforce, with a focus on rural areas, provide a projection of how many more EMTs will be needed over time, and examine the training and resources available to ensure an adequate pipeline.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Analysis of the current and future supply of and demand for EMTs, paramedics, and similar medical professionals. Assess the adequacy of the current and future supply of these medical professionals.
• Identify three or more rural case studies to assess recruitment and retention practices of these medical professionals, and the sustainability of these practices.
• Analyze the following regarding EMTs, paramedics, and similar professionals, across rural and urban Pennsylvania:
• the costs of training,
• assessment of who currently pays for that training,
• the availability of professionals (trainers) to provide training, and
• the sources of funding to employ trainers.
• Provide public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

This research will evaluate what factors contribute to making a rural hospital sustainable. The study will examine the impact of recent hospital mergers/consolidations or restructuring on hospital sustainability and compare them to rural hospitals that have not been consolidated or restructured. The goals are to evaluate the impact of these two kinds of changes on access to needed health care, and to provide guidance on what options are best pursued for the 18 rural Pennsylvania hospitals now at financial risk. The research will also include a literature review and review examples from other states to provide guidance and best practices for sustaining access to health care in rural areas.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Identity the number and characteristics of rural hospitals that have merged/consolidated or restructured over the past seven years.
• Assess the impact of mergers/consolidations and restructuring on rural hospitals (relative to those hospitals that did not change), including but not limited to:
• financial position/solvency,
• employee recruitment/retention,
• staffing levels,
• patient access to healthcare, and
• patient health outcomes.
• Analyze rural hospital purchases and consolidations in other states and the impact with the goal of identifying best practices and recommendations for Pennsylvania.
• Provide public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

A recent surge in warehouse construction in Pennsylvania has yielded interest in the short- and long-term effects of this growth on rural regions of Pennsylvania. The growing presence of warehouses also generates questions about local capacity to manage traffic and workforce issues. This study will update and expand findings from a 2008 Center for Rural Pennsylvania report that created a geographic and economic assessment of the warehousing industry in rural Pennsylvania.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Assessment of the economic, transportation, and community impacts of warehousing on rural Pennsylvania.
• Analysis of employment needs and supply within the industry.
• Identify changes to the warehousing industry in Pennsylvania over the past 10 years, and the potential outlook for the next 10 years.
• Provide public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

This research will analyze data to determine rural housing availability and affordability for residents aged 55 and older. The study will also survey state residents with the goal of understanding the needs, preferences, and decisions of this age group about where to live and retire.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Analyze data on the age of the Commonwealth's population in rural and urban areas and the availability of housing in rural areas.
• Survey rural residents aged 55 and older to determine:
• their housing needs and preferences,
• intentions and likelihood of retirement relocation, and
• short- and long-term demand for 55+ housing in rural areas.
• Provide a profile of what factors influence decisions to remain in rural Pennsylvania throughout retirement, including the demand for affordable or low-income housing.
• Analyze the extent to which the rural housing supply - current and projected - is designed to facilitate "aging in place."
• Evaluate key factors, such as:
• licensing processes for rural assisted living homes, personal care homes, etc.), and
• zoning, laws or ordinances, etc., that hinder or facilitate various types of rural 55+ housing (e.g., developments, senior apartments, etc.).
• Provide public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

There are increasing opportunities for short-term rentals, as entities such as Airbnb and Vrbo have emerged. This study will estimate the number of such rentals in rural and urban areas. It will evaluate the pros and cons of such rentals on municipalities, including factors such as property values, taxes, tourism, availability of long-term rentals for residents/local workforce, and economic impact overall. In addition, it will describe the extent to which there are local ordinances that regulate short-term rentals and their impact.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Analyze existing data on the prevalence of short-term rentals in rural and urban areas.
• Identify and review the extent to which there are local ordinances related to short-term rentals, along with their content and impact. Discuss to what extent and how short-term rentals are regulated.
• Provide an analysis of the pros and cons of short-term rentals based upon current conditions in rural Pennsylvania.
• Estimate the economic benefits or costs to various stakeholders, including:
• the possible impact on the residential rental market,
• local and state tax revenue,
• local infrastructure, and
• other relevant considerations
• Provide public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

Mobile homes may be classified as one affordable housing option. However, mobile homes and some manufactured homes, are not classified in the same way as deeded residential properties and residents are subject to additional expenses. This research will outline the impact of this differential treatment on the valuation of homes, the impact of property tax issues and fees on the affordability of this type of housing, and the extent to which people who reside in them are at risk for displacement.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Analyze the number, location, and characteristics of mobile homes in rural and urban Pennsylvania, as well as the number of residents in this type of housing.
• Provide data on the prices of new mobile homes, resale values/depreciation over time, property tax implications, and the financial implications for mobile homeowners who do not own the land on which their homes are located.
• Describe and analyze the extent to which there is government involvement in zoning, taxation, and consumer protection with regard to living in a mobile home.
• Outline the policy areas for which there are implications and provide relevant public policy recommendations.

Other topical and beneficial projects that address one or more of the Center's mandated research areas will be considered by the Center under the Open Topics category. For the 2024 full grants cycle, the Center is particularly interested in the following Special Focus Areas:

• 1. Identifying relevant models for combating substance abuse, in particular problems stemming from opioids, fentanyl, and illegal drugs in rural Pennsylvania. Potential interest in barriers to treatment, harm prevention.
• 2. Sustaining the rural workforce over the next 10 years, with potential areas of focus on:
•   a. Trends and rates of automation by industry, and related implications of automation, or
•   b. Attracting new workers to rural areas.
• 3. Lessons learned from rural hospital closures in Pennsylvania and other states, including the impact on residents, health outcomes, and access to health care.
• 4. Research that builds on, updates, or enhances the Center's previously published research.



Open topics will also be accepted for the Mini Grant Program. Proposed Mini Grant topics for this category should focus on basic data collection and analysis, time-sensitive issues, and/or the preparation of reference materials. Mini Grant projects must show a clear relationship to one or more of the Center's mandated research areas. Application procedures for proposed Open Topic Mini Grant projects must follow the Letter of Intent guidelines.

This study of the Transfer of Wealth (TOW) in Pennsylvania will provide an update to the first two TOW studies conducted by the Center in 2008 and 2016, with particular emphasis on demographic shifts following the 2020 Census and COVID-19 pandemic, and their financial implications in rural Pennsylvania. This interdisciplinary project will analyze trends in the availability of wealth for intergenerational transfer, which allows for the identification of potential impacts and opportunities for rural counties.

Key Expected Outcomes:
• Estimate the number of domestic violence victims in rural and urban Pennsylvania for each of the past 5 years.
• Estimate the projected intergenerational wealth transfer for each Pennsylvania county over the next 30 years, in five-year increments.
• Provide the results of the data analysis and results by county, and a detailed explanation of the methodology used.