Neighborhood Access in the Housing Choice Voucher Program

• In Event: 40821 - Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 9. Low-Income Housing Provision

Abstract

This study identifies residential mobility patterns among a sample of 7,592 housing choice voucher recipients in Houston, Texas. Using data from the Houston Housing Authority and the U.S Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), we examine residential locations and analyze associations between leasing decisions and neighborhood characteristics among voucher holders. Houston provides a unique opportunity to study these neighborhoods given that it is the fourth largest city in the U.S., as well as one of the most racially and ethnically diverse cities in the nation. It is also experiencing more rapid population growth than other metropolitan areas previously studied (Klineberg 2020). We take a new approach to assess neighborhood accessibility based on the concentrations of voucher users in different neighborhoods. We find that, despite a small majority of voucher holders concentrated in a select handful of neighborhoods, voucher households in Houston are also accessing a wide variety of neighborhoods with lower concentrations of voucher recipients. These neighborhoods are demographically different from voucher concentrated ones, as they are often more racially diverse and economically advantaged. We propose future analyses to determine factors that shape leasing patterns in these neighborhoods.

Authors

• Lauren J. Harvey, Rice University

• Aram Yang

• Anna Rhodes, Rice University

• Jeremy E. Fiel, Rice University