Newly released research confirms what many already knew. Housing Choice Vouchers can be difficult to use.
According to one study, just 61% of U.S. households who received a Home Choice Voucher in 2019 found a place to use it within 180 days. A national survey conducted by the New York University Furman Center In partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which went public on February 23.
People with Arizona vouchers fared slightly better, averaging a 66% success rate across the state’s public housing authorities, but success rates for individual housing authorities varied widely.
The study also looked at how long it took the average voucher holder to avail of assistance. A typical timeframe across the country was his 60 days, compared to his 41 days in Arizona.
A Housing Choice Voucher (previously called a Section 8 Voucher) is a form of federal assistance that helps low-income families pay their rent. Available only for properties with rents that match the area. The voucher owner pays her 30% of the income as rent and the rest is covered by the voucher. The maximum monthly subsidy for a two-bedroom unit in Phoenix is ​​approximately $2,000.
It is already widely known that vouchers are difficult to use. Many landlords do not accept vouchers because of the stigma or administrative burden associated with the voucher holder.
Despite the well-documented problem of voucher rejection by landlords, relatively little research has been done on voucher success rates. Last before the NYU study National survey This topic was published in 2001.
Furman Center Faculty Director Ingrid Gould-Ellen said: “By exposing these fees and shining a light on them, we can bring everyone’s attention to this and make it available to more people. I hope it helps you find a way to do it.
Voucher Success Rate in Arizona Local Housing Authority
A study using data collected by local public housing authorities and HUD found that the rate of successful use of vouchers varied widely across Arizona. Voucher distribution is the responsibility of the local housing authority.
Cochise County Housing Authority had the highest success rate, with 86% of voucher holders finding a place to live within 180 days.
Of the housing authorities with reliable data, Chandler’s housing authority had the lowest success rate at just 46%.
Related:Affordable housing projects have sparked controversy in Chandler.
Rising rents in Chandler and the fact that many apartment complexes in the city stopped accepting vouchers around 2019 may have contributed to the city’s low success rate that year, said Chandler Housing. and redevelopment manager Amy Jacobson.
In 2019, the five Arizona housing authorities with the highest voucher success rates are:
- Cochise County: 86%
- Pinal County: 80%
- Tempeh: 80%
- Flagstaff: 80%
- Douglas: 79%
The Arizona housing authorities with the lowest voucher success rate that year were:
- Chandler: 46%
- Yuma County: 53%
- Phoenix: 63%
- Glendale: 65%
- Mesa: 70%
- Tucson: 70%
Some Arizona housing authorities were excluded from these lists because the data sample was too small to be conclusive. Others were excluded from the study because they did not track their data correctly.
According to Gould Ellen, the availability of housing, the age of the housing stock (which affects whether it passes inspections), and the variation in rent prices across municipalities have led to the success rate being reduced by local housing authorities. may differ.
The Furman Center also plans to investigate how the individual rules and practices of housing authorities affect success rates.
Why It’s Important to Know Your Housing Voucher Success Rate
According to HUD, the Housing Choice Voucher Program is the largest housing assistance program in the country, serving more than 2.3 million households.
Research shows that housing choice vouchers have a wide range of positive impacts on the families that use them, including: decrease in homelessnessalleviation of congestion, high school grades for children.
But families can wait years and decades to receive their vouchers. If you do, there is no guarantee that you will be able to find a place to use it.
“I think it needs to be scrutinized,” Gould Ellen said. “That doesn’t mean the program should be ditched. It just means that both landlords and tenants need to come up with ways to make the program easier to use.”
Juliette Rihl covers housing insecurity and homelessness in the Republic of Arizona. She can be reached at her jrihl@arizonarepublic.com or on her Twitter. @julietterihl.
A grant from the Arizona Community Foundation supports azcentral.com and coverage of housing insecurity in the Republic of Arizona.
