Housing Programs for Low-Income Households

76 Pages Posted: 31 Mar 2001 Last revised: 7 Dec 2022

See all articles by Edgar O. Olsen

Edgar O. Olsen

University of Virginia - Department of Economics

Date Written: April 2001

Abstract

The primary purposes of this paper are to (1) consider the justifications that have been offered for housing subsidies to low-income households and the implications of these justifications for the evaluation and design of housing programs, (2) describe the most important features of the largest rental housing programs for low-income households in the United States, (3) summarize the empirical evidence on the major effects of these programs, and (4) analyze the major options for reform of the system of housing subsidies. The largest rental programs are HUD's Public Housing, Section 236, Section 8 New Construction/Substantial Rehab, Section 8 Existing, USDA's Section 515, and the IRS's Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The effects of these programs that will be considered include effects on the housing occupied by recipients of the subsidy and their consumption of other goods, effects on labor supply of assisted households, the distribution of benefits among recipients, participation rates among different types of households, effects on the types of neighborhoods in which subsidized households live and the effect of subsidized housing and households on their neighbors, the effect on prices of unsubsidized housing, and the cost-effectiveness of alternative methods for delivering housing assistance.

Suggested Citation

Olsen, Edgar O., Housing Programs for Low-Income Households (April 2001). NBER Working Paper No. w8208, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=265302

Edgar O. Olsen (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 400182
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4182
United States
434-924-3443 (Phone)
434-924-2904 (Fax)

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