The trend should serve as a "wake-up call" for housing policy, researchers say.
Families using federal housing vouchers are funneled to low-income, racially segregated neighborhoods even when affordable homes are available in "higher opportunity" areas, a new study shows.
Across the country, the Washington Post reports, "just 5 percent of metropolitan families using vouchers live in high-opportunity neighborhoods even though those areas account for 18 percent of all affordable rentals." And it's Black and Latino voucher holders who most consistently end up in neighborhoods that lack access to quality schools, jobs, and transit.
To address the barriers that keep aid recipients out of wealthier neighborhoods, researchers from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Poverty & Race Research Action Council recommend specific tweaks to local voucher programs: calculating aid to reflect prices in specific ZIP codes and offering greater subsidies for apartments in more expensive communities. They also note that while some jurisdictions have outlawed source-of-income discrimination, federal law does not require landlords to accept housing vouchers. The Trump administration has opposed recent attempts to move HUD toward these strategies.
Section 8 Not Welcome
More landlords are refusing Section 8 vouchers for housing, neither willing to deal with the federal bureaucracy nor to risk missing out on the peak windfall of an expansive rental market.
Research: Sprawl Linked to Poverty
Low-income families living in high-sprawl neighborhoods are limited in their access to education, jobs, and other amenities, often trapping them in a cycle of poverty.
Eight Ohio Towns Ban Source of Income Discrimination in Housing
The group doesn’t include Cleveland, where landlords can explicitly exclude housing voucher recipients from rental properties.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.
Understanding Road Diets
An explainer from Momentum highlights the advantages of reducing vehicle lanes in favor of more bike, transit, and pedestrian infrastructure.
New California Law Regulates Warehouse Pollution
A new law tightens building and emissions regulations for large distribution warehouses to mitigate air pollution and traffic in surrounding communities.
Phoenix Announces Opening Date for Light Rail Extension
The South Central extension will connect South Phoenix to downtown and other major hubs starting on June 7.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service