Improving Local Strategies for Housing the Urban Poor

Abstract

This paper shows that regardless of whether the current Section 8 program is continued or whether an alternative program structure is adopted, housing assistance can he made more economical if there is greater reliance on the existing housing stock rather than on new construction. Greater reliance on existing housing would occur if there were a better match between local housing market conditions and housing assistance strategies. The findings have implications for both Section 8 and the proposed housing programs.Section I of the paper describes the important role of Housing Assistance Plans (HAPs) in determining housing strategies for individual localities and for the nation. The second section asks whether the housing type mix expressed in the HAP goals is consistent with local housing market conditions. The best available evidence indicates that the housing mix between new and exising units does not reflect local market conditions. There is too much reliance on construction, particularly in soft housin...