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What do we know about housing choice vouchers?

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  • Ellen, Ingrid Gould

Abstract

The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides assistance to approximately 2.2 million households each year, making it the largest low-income housing subsidy program managed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This paper reviews what we know about the program. In brief, experimental research shows that vouchers help to reduce the rent burdens of low-income households, allow them to live in less crowded homes, and minimize the risk of homelessness. Research also shows, however, that the program has been far less successful in getting recipients to better neighborhoods and schools. And perhaps the greatest disappointment of the program is its limited reach. Families typically wait for years to receive a voucher, and only one in four households eligible for a voucher nationally receives any federal rental housing assistance. Another issue is that a significant share of households who receive vouchers never use them, in part because of the difficulty of finding willing landlords with acceptable units. Thus, as effective as the program is, there is still room for improvement.

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  • Ellen, Ingrid Gould, 2020. "What do we know about housing choice vouchers?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:80:y:2020:i:c:s0166046217302983
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2018.07.003
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lopez Garcia, Miguel-Angel, 2024. "Subsidios a la vivienda para los hogares de renta baja: un panorama," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 58, pages 33-69.
    3. Kole, Kyle, 2022. "Housing vouchers reduce residential crowding," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    4. Kuzey Yılmaz & Muharrem Yeşilırmak, 2023. "Access to transportation, residential segregation, and economic opportunity," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 41(1), pages 103-127, January.
    5. Céline Grislain-Letrémy & Corentin Trevien, 2022. "The Long-Term Impact of Housing Subsidies on the Rental Sector: the French Example," Working papers 886, Banque de France.
    6. Ulrich B. Morawetz & H. Allen Klaiber, 2022. "Does housing policy impact income sorting near urban amenities? Evidence from Vienna, Austria," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(2), pages 411-454, October.
    7. Li Shang & Xiaoling Zhang & Decai Tang & Xiaoxue Ma & Chunfeng Lu, 2023. "The Impact of Housing Support Expenditure on Urban Residents’ Consumption—Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-24, June.

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