The Impact of Housing Vouchers on Mobility and Neighborhood Attributes

Eriksen, Michael D.; Ross, Amanda

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The Impact of Housing Vouchers on Mobility and Neighborhood Attributes

Real Estate Economics, Forthcoming

36 Pages Posted: 22 Feb 2012 Last revised: 7 Apr 2012

See all articles by Michael D. Eriksen

Michael D. Eriksen

University of Cincinnati - Department of Finance - Real Estate

Amanda Ross

University of Alabama - Culverhouse College of Commerce & Business Administration

There are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: December 8, 2011

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of receiving a housing voucher on the mobility and neighborhood attributes of low-income households. Housing policy has shifted towards vouchers in lieu of public housing projects to allow households to move away from high poverty areas. We use administrative records collected from an experiment to examine this issue. We find that households moved immediately after receiving the subsidy, but did not relocate to lower poverty neighborhoods until several quarters later. Our findings suggest that recipients initially lease in nearby units to secure the subsidy, while continuing to search for housing in lower poverty neighborhoods.

Keywords: Housing Policy, Mobility, Poverty, Vouchers

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Eriksen, Michael D. and Ross, Amanda, The Impact of Housing Vouchers on Mobility and Neighborhood Attributes (December 8, 2011). Real Estate Economics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2008954