The demographics of households receiving rental assistance has changed over time, yet much of the policy and political dialogue has not. Understanding the changing profile of subsidized households is important when evaluating the role of rental subsidies in alleviating cost burdens, determining outcomes associated with mobility-focused versus place-based housing assistance, and applying concepts of neighborhood opportunity to both. This paper analyzes how the composition of subsidized households has changed over time and across subsidy programs, and how this relates to concepts of neighborhood opportunity. We find that since 2000, the share of subsidized renters who were seniors grew, while the share with children dropped. In particular, households using vouchers used to be young relative to the general population and households in other rental assistance programs but have aged rapidly. We also find that current definitions of “neighborhood opportunity” are not well equipped to accommodate these changes and propose alternative metrics.

Inspired by the Gautreaux housing mobility program in Chicago, Moving to Opportunity (MTO) is an experimental demonstration and research project designed to evaluate the impacts of helping low-income families move from public and assisted housing in high-poverty inner-city neighborhoods to better housing, education, and employment opportunities in low-poverty communities throughout a metropolitan area. Funding covers 1,300 low-income families at five demonstration sites: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

The most widely used and most widely referenced "basic book" on Housing Policy in the United States has now been substantially revised to examine the turmoil resulting from the collapse of the housing market in 2007 and the related financial crisis. The text covers the impact of the crisis in depth, including policy changes put in place and proposed by the Obama administration. This new edition also includes the latest data on housing trends and program budgets, and an expanded discussion of homelessnessof homelessness.