Housing Vouchers Alone Do Not Connect Kids to Strong Schools
- Title:
- Housing Vouchers Alone Do Not Connect Kids to Strong Schools
- Author:
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Keren Mertens Horn, Ingrid Gould Ellen, Amy Ellen Schwartz
- Source:
- Publication Date:
Research shows the Housing Choice Voucher Program helps households afford decent and safe housing. It significantly reduces the likelihood that a family will be homeless, double up with other families, or live in a crowded apartment. But the Housing Choice Voucher program was also created, in part, to help low-income households reach a broader range of neighborhoods and schools. This goal has been elusive, according to a research brief based on the paper “Do Housing Choice Voucher Holders Live Near Good Schools?”
Major findings:
- Housing Choice Voucher holders on average live near lower-performing schools than those living in housing developed with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit.
- Housing Choice Voucher holders on average live near lower-performing schools than poor families overall, except those living in public housing.
- Constrained housing choices, due to both racial segregation and overall tightness of the rental market, may be one reason that voucher holders live nearer lower-performing schools.
