Achieving Housing Choice and Mobility in the Voucher Program: Recommendations for the Administration

[...]housing authorities are experiencing historically low "success rates" as measured by the percentage of families who receive housing vouchers that are actually able to use them in the private market.15 Low success rates are often tied to low voucher utilization rates, i.e., the number...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law 2018-09, Vol.27 (1), p.145-160
Main Author: Thrope, Deborah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affordable housing
Community development
Fair Housing Act 1968-US
Households
Housing
Housing discrimination
Housing subsidies
Influence
Low income groups
Neighborhoods
Opportunities and Challenges in the New Administration
Poverty
Quality standards
Remedies
Rent subsidies
Rentals
Segregation
Tenants
Trends
Vouchers
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Summary:[...]housing authorities are experiencing historically low "success rates" as measured by the percentage of families who receive housing vouchers that are actually able to use them in the private market.15 Low success rates are often tied to low voucher utilization rates, i.e., the number of units leased with voucher assistance as a percentage of the number of units that the PHA was authorized to lease by contract with HUD. [...]75 percent of Section 8 voucher families-including 79 percent of African American voucher households-live in racially concentrated minority neighborhoods.19 Statutory law requires HUD to revise FMRs annually using the most recent available data.20 HUD sets FMRs at either the 40th or 50th percentile rent-the dollar amount below which the rent for 40 percent or 50 percent of standard quality rental housing units are rented by recent movers in a given geographic area.21 HUD's methodology for setting FMRs is flawed, however, and often results in inaccurate market rent determinations. [...]voucher holders are effectively barred from living in many areas, especially low-poverty neighborhoods with access to high-performing schools and other community amenities. According to the report, by 2010-14, almost 14 million people lived in neighborhoods with poverty rates of 40 percent or more-more than twice as many as in 2000.
ISSN:1084-2268
2163-0305