Employment and Financial Outcomes of Participants in Rental Assistance Programs

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The employment outcomes of participants in rental assistance programs is a longstanding area of policy interest. Initiatives like Moving to Work (MTW) and Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) focus on improving the employment outcomes of participants in federal assistance programs, aiming to support housing subsidy program participants in increasing their earnings and making progress toward economic self-sufficiency. However, the evidence to date has not provided encouraging evidence regarding effective and scalable ways to increase employment and income for program participants. In addition, an increasing number of participants in rental assistance programs are elderly and disabled, making them less likely to be able to experience increased employment and earnings.

This proposed panel brings together recent research that used HUD administrative data and other datasets to examine: 1) the employment and income outcomes of participants in the FSS program relative to a control group using data from a randomized national evaluation; 2) the employment and wage trajectories of participants in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program using a longitudinal national dataset of program participants from 2005 to 2018; 3) the employment and wage outcomes for HCV participants associated with moves to neighborhood with differing levels of job accessibility.

The proposed set of papers will provide updated evidence regarding the employment outcomes of participants in rental assistance programs, supporting the discussion of policies to ensure that housing assistance programs continue to provide a crucial safety net while supporting access to employment for those able to participate in the workforce.

Policy Area

• Housing, Community Development, and Urban Policy

Chair

• Gary Dean Painter, University of Cincinnati

Discussants

• Elizabeth Tong, University of Washington

• Arthur Acolin, University of Washington

Organizer

• Arthur Acolin, University of Washington

Individual Presentations

• Program Effects and Lessons from the Family Self-Sufficiency Program Evaluation - Presenting Author: nandita verma, MDRC

• Economic Mobility or Safety Net? Examining Employment Outcomes of Housing Choice Voucher Recipients - Presenting Author: Vince Wang, University of Washington; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Alex Ramiller, University of Toronto; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Arthur Acolin, University of Washington

• Employment Access and Employment Outcomes for Movers in the Housing Choice Voucher Program - Presenting Author: Alex Ramiller, University of Toronto