The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) is the largest of the rental subsidy programs administered by HUD. In the HCVP, a family is offered a voucher, which it can use to rent any privately owned unit that meets program requirements. The HCVP "success rate" is the proportion of families issued a voucher who succeed in leasing a unit within the timeframe provided by the program. This volume examines success rates in metro areas. It finds that success rates vary with local market conditions. Importantly, success rates did not differ by such characteristics as the race, ethnicity, gender, or disability status of the head of household. This suggests that the voucher program works equally well for many different types of households. Illustrated.

The Section 8 Rental Certificate and Rental Voucher programs are a critical part of the Federal Government's efforts to expand rental housing opportunities for low-income families. This study provides valuable insights into the housing search experiences and outcomes of Section 8 enrollees who, when they are not homeless or sharing a housing unit, were paying an average of two-thirds of their income in rent. Covers: success rates, need for assistance, and demographics; and determinants of enrollee success. 50 charts, tables and graphs.

Park Heights -- Housing insecurity & survival strategies -- The promise of housing vouchers -- The challenges of using the voucher -- "A tenant for every house"--"Not in my front yard" -- Choosing to move, choosing to stay

Chronic homelessness is a highly complex social problem of national importance. The problem has elicited a variety of societal and public policy responses over the years, concomitant with fluctuations in the economy and changes in the demographics of and attitudes toward poor and disenfranchised citizens. In recent decades, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the philanthropic community have worked hard to develop and implement programs to solve the challenges of homelessness, and progress has been made. However, much more remains to be done. Importantly, the results of various efforts, and especially the efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans in recent years, have shown that the problem of homelessness can be successfully addressed. Although a number of programs have been developed to meet the needs of persons experiencing homelessness, this report focuses on one particular type of intervention: permanent supportive housing (PSH). Permanent Supportive Housing focuses on the impact of PSH on health care outcomes and its cost-effectiveness. The report also addresses policy and program barriers that affect the ability to bring the PSH and other housing models to scale to address housing and health care needs.

Few United States government programs are as controversial as those designed to aid the poor. From tax credits to medical assistance, aid to needy families is surrounded by debate—on what benefits should be offered, what forms they should take, and how they should be administered. The past few decades, in fact, have seen this debate lead to broad transformations of aid programs themselves, with Aid to Families with Dependent Children replaced by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, the Earned Income Tax Credit growing from a minor program to one of the most important for low-income families, and Medicaid greatly expanding its eligibility. This volume provides a remarkable overview of how such programs actually work, offering an impressive wealth of information on the nation's nine largest "means-tested" programs—that is, those in which some test of income forms the basis for participation. For each program, contributors describe origins and goals, summarize policy histories and current rules, and discuss the recipient's characteristics as well as the different types of benefits they receive. Each chapter then provides an overview of scholarly research on each program, bringing together the results of the field's most rigorous statistical examinations. The result is a fascinating portrayal of the evolution and current state of means-tested programs, one that charts a number of shifts in emphasis—the decline of cash assistance, for instance, and the increasing emphasis on work. This exemplary portrait of the nation's safety net will be an invaluable reference for anyone interested in American social policy.