IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/houspd/v33y2023i4p983-1001.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Locked Out: The Systematic Exclusion of Poor Renters From Federally Subsidized Housing

Author

Listed:
  • Megan C. Smith
  • Thomas H. Byrne

Abstract

Affordable housing is a critical resource with serious ramifications for a range of outcomes for low-income households. However, low-income prospective tenants are often denied subsidized housing through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the basis of factors directly or indirectly related to their poverty and racialized identities. This study assesses how the admissions policies of public housing authorities and Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance developments in Rhode Island define criteria for denial on the basis of applicants’ criminal legal history, alcohol use, landlord history, and credit history. Three key findings emerge from this study that highlight the endemic nature of housing exclusion and elucidate how it is enacted. First, the plans include grounds for denial that far exceed the HUD-mandated criteria and utilize long lookback periods. Second, plans lack clarity and transparency. Third, admissions criteria vary significantly by development characteristics. Policy interventions include increased oversight and transparency and advocacy for inclusionary language.

Suggested Citation

  • Megan C. Smith & Thomas H. Byrne, 2023. "Locked Out: The Systematic Exclusion of Poor Renters From Federally Subsidized Housing," Housing Policy Debate, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 983-1001, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:houspd:v:33:y:2023:i:4:p:983-1001
    DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2021.1950803
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/10511482.2021.1950803
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/10511482.2021.1950803?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:houspd:v:33:y:2023:i:4:p:983-1001. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RHPD20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.