3.3 Pillar III
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Pillar III - Help Households Access and Afford Private-market Homes
There are good reasons to focus on helping households access and afford the costs of private-market homes:
- Cost is one, as tenant-based rental assistance is often less expensive than project-based.
- Choice is another, as tenant-based rental assistance gives households more housing options than designated affordable housing developments.
Pillar III, Help households access and afford private-market homes, includes tenant-based rental assistance and policies that help families with this assistance access housing in areas of opportunity. This Pillar also includes policies that reduce barriers to homeownership, reduce energy use and costs, and enforce fair housing laws to ensure all households have fair access to housing they can afford.
Policy Subcategories Under Pillar III:
- Providing tenant-based rental assistance
- Promoting mobility for Housing Choice Voucher holders
- Reducing barriers to homeownership
- Reducing energy use and costs
- Combatting housing discrimination
1. Providing tenant-based rental assistance
These policies provide support to help renters afford private market housing. The largest program in the country under this subcategory is the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, administered by local and state public housing agencies. Localities can also use state and local funds for these types of policies.
To learn more about a sample of policies within this subcategory, match up the examples below with the correct definition by first clicking on a policy and then clicking on the box where you think it should go. Do this for each of the policies, and then check your results.
2. Promoting mobility for housing choice voucher holders
Policies in this subcategory promote residential mobility by helping housing choice voucher holders access homes in resource-rich areas, such as areas with strong schools and low poverty rates. Examples include increases in voucher payment standards in high-cost neighborhoods, programs providing housing search assistance, and landlord recruitment and retention efforts.
To learn more about a sample of policies within this subcategory, match up the examples below with the correct definition by first clicking on a policy and then clicking on the box where you think it should go. Do this for each of the policies, and then check your results.
3. Reducing barriers to homeownership
This subcategory includes policies that help renters prepare to qualify for a mortgage and purchase a home. Examples include policies that provide down payment and closing cost assistance, low-interest mortgages, and asset building programs that help families build savings.
To learn more about a sample of policies within this subcategory, match up the examples below with the correct definition by first clicking on a policy and then clicking on the box where you think it should go. Do this for each of the policies, and then check your results.
4. Reducing energy use and costs
These policies help reduce utility costs to make families’ overall housing costs more affordable. They also reduce energy use and associated emissions of greenhouse gasses. They can include, among others, increased energy-efficiency standards for new developments and incentives for energy-efficiency retrofits.
To learn more about a sample of policies within this subcategory, match up the examples below with the correct definition by first clicking on a policy and then clicking on the box where you think it should go. Do this for each of the policies, and then check your results.
5. Combatting housing discrimination
Policies in this subcategory address and prevent housing discrimination against renters and homeowners. Examples include programs that promote enforcement of fair housing laws, provide education for residents and real estate professionals, and provide legal assistance for victims of discrimination.
To learn more about a sample of policies within this subcategory, match up the examples below with the correct definition by first clicking on a policy and then clicking on the box where you think it should go. Do this for each of the policies, and then check your results.
Click on the link below to view a complete list of policies under Pillar III, with links to briefs describing each policy in detail.