The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program provides assistance to over 5 million people in approximately 2.3 million households. Although the program frees up recipients to rent in the private market, there is widespread evidence that landlords discriminate against voucher holders. Consequently, 14 states and 60 localities have passed source of income (SOI) laws that bar landlords from discriminating against renters based on SOI.
This research brief summarizes a peer-reviewed study that analyzes HUD administrative data to compare the locational outcomes of voucher holders before and after the enactment of SOI laws in 31 jurisdictions. The study finds that after SOI enactment, voucher holders who move experience a larger decrease (0.6 percent) in neighborhood poverty rates between their origin and destination neighborhoods compared to voucher movers in nearby jurisdictions without SOI protections. The study also finds that voucher movers reach neighborhoods with relatively lower shares of households with vouchers and higher white population shares. While most results are modest (suggesting that it takes time for SOI protections to affect the neighborhood outcomes of voucher movers), the impacts appear to be driven primarily by voucher holders originating in the highest poverty neighborhoods.
One Response
I am so grateful for this source of information to help me advocate strongly for the protections and the Housing Choice Voucher program award and consideration. I am hoping this New Data in 14 states and 60 localities along with the 30 Jurisdictions are great for housing court proceedings to support and protect me in my case management conference as the respondent to the claimant Property Management Company to represent my tenant rights in Nj Courts against discrimination as a renter based on source of income protection laws. I am using this to research, gather, study, build and present points in my up coming hearing and get help in the Housing Solution Lab to bring my community local housing solution supports.