Federal Housing Policy Research Articles

Subsidy Overlaps in Federal Housing Policy

Subsidy Overlaps in Federal Housing Policy

Structural Racism, Residential Segregation, and Exposure to Trauma: The Persistent Impact of Redlining.

As part of New Deal era federal housing policy, the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) developed maps grading US neighborhoods by perceived financial security. Neighborhoods with high concentrations of racial and ethnic minorities were deemed financially unstable and denied federal investment, a practice colloquially known as redlining. The aim of this study was to assess the association of historical redlining within Austin, Texas to spatial patterns of penetrating traumatic injury. Retrospective cross sectional study utilizing data from violent penetrating trauma admissions between January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2021, at the single Level 1 trauma center in Austin, Texas. Using ArcGIS, addresses where the injury took place were geocoded and spatial joining was used to match them to their corresponding census tract, for which 1935 HOLC financial designations are classified as: "Hazardous", "Definitely Declining", "Still Desirable", "Best", or "Non HOLC Graded". Tracts with designations of "Hazardous" and "Definitely Declining" were categorized as Redlined. The adjusted incidence rate ratio comparing rates of penetrating trauma among historically Redlined vs. Not Redlined and Not Graded census tracts was calculated. 1,404 violent penetrating trauma admissions were identified for the study period, of which 920 occurred within the county of interest. Among these, 5% occurred in census tracts that were Not Redlined, 13% occurred in Redlined tracts, and 82% occurred in non HOLC graded tracts. When adjusting for differences in current census tract demographics and social vulnerability, historically Redlined areas experienced a higher rate of penetrating traumatic injury (Not Redlined IRR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.19-0.94, p = 0.03; Not Graded IRR = 0.15, 95% CI 0.07-0.29, p < 0.001). Neighborhoods unfavorably classified by HOLC in 1935 continue to experience a higher incidence rate of violent penetrating trauma today. These results underscore the persistent impacts of structural racism and of historical residential segregation policies on exposure to trauma. Level IV, Prognostic and Epidemiological.

A critical discourse analysis of older women’s representation in housing and homelessness

Purpose Despite a significant evidence base illustrating the issue of housing insecurity and homelessness experienced by women over the age of 55 in Australia [Pawson et al., 2018; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2021b; Mission Australia 2022; Per Capita 2022], there continues to be a knowledge gap in the representation of older women in current Federal and New South Wales (NSW) State Government housing and homelessness policies and initiatives. This paper aims to identify the extent and ways in which older women were represented (or not represented) in the Federal and NSW State housing and homelessness policies in 2022. Design/methodology/approach Of the total primary and supplementary Federal and NSW State policy and strategy documents, 16 were collected through a systematic review and then analysed using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework and feminist lens to explore quotes, phrases, keywords and language choices which suggested prevalent themes, rhetorical devices and dominant discourses. Findings Three significant themes were identified by the analysis (1) “relinquished responsibility”, (2) “inconsistent rhetoric” and (3) “homogenising and ideological cherry picking”. These themes presented the authors with three main discussion points to inform policy reform which we have addressed in relation to policy implications, evidence-based policy decision-making and impacts on older women. Originality/value The combination of a systematic review with CDA provides a unique approach to exploring homelessness policy for older women.

Housing policies and energy efficiency spillovers in low and moderate income communities

Housing policies address the human dimensions of increasing urban density, but their energy and sustainability implications are hard to measure due to challenges with siloed civic data. This is especially critical when evaluating policies targeting low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. For example, a major challenge to achieving national energy efficiency goals has been participation by LMI households. Standalone energy efficiency policies, such as information-based programmes and weatherization assistance, tend to attract affluent, informed households or suffer from low participation rates. In this Article, we provide evidence that federal housing policies, specifically community development block grants, accelerate energy efficiency participation from LMI households, including renters and multifamily residents. We conduct record linkage on 5.9M observations of housing programme participation and utility consumption to quantify the hidden benefits of locally administered housing block grants in a typical entitlement community in the US Southeast. We provide long-run evidence across 16,680 properties that housing policies generate 5–11% energy savings as spillover benefits to economically burdened households not conventionally targeted for energy efficiency participation.

The Housing Vulnerability Deadlock: A View from Canada

ABSTRACT It took 50+ years of federal housing policy and municipal planning to transform Canada into a homeownership society. Over the past three decades, these efforts also coincided with significant periods of public austerity that curtailed social expenditures, especially in terms of social housing. Thus, as homeownership became “locked-in” as the dominant form of tenure, housing vulnerability became further entrenched. From the 1990s until the present day, government action to end housing vulnerability has remained at an impasse. We call this development pathway the housing vulnerability deadlock to draw attention to the interplay of economic and political mechanisms that have impeded government action. In this article, we describe the mechanisms constituting this deadlock and reflect on the prospects of breaking out of it.

Feeling the Heat in Hollywood: Professionals, Surveillance, and the Landscape of Los Angeles

May 01 2023 Feeling the Heat in Hollywood: Professionals, Surveillance, and the Landscape of Los Angeles James Heard James Heard James Heard is an architect, historian, and educator based in Somerville, Massachusetts. He received his B. Arch at Virginia Tech and S.M.Arch.S. with a focus in History, Theory, and Criticism at MIT. His master's thesis, “’Professionals in a Soviet America’: Federal Housing Policy, the Popular Front, and Architects in Los Angeles, 1919—1947,” explores the intersection of housing policy discourse and activism in Southern California. He is the recipient of a Graham Grant for the 2021—2022 exhibition The Architects Collaborative: Tracing a Diffuse Architectural Authorship, 1945—1995, along with Gabriel Cira and Emma Pfeiffer. He is a member of the Boston chapter of The Architecture Lobby and was the organization's former National Design Coordinator. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Author and Article Information James Heard James Heard is an architect, historian, and educator based in Somerville, Massachusetts. He received his B. Arch at Virginia Tech and S.M.Arch.S. with a focus in History, Theory, and Criticism at MIT. His master's thesis, “’Professionals in a Soviet America’: Federal Housing Policy, the Popular Front, and Architects in Los Angeles, 1919—1947,” explores the intersection of housing policy discourse and activism in Southern California. He is the recipient of a Graham Grant for the 2021—2022 exhibition The Architects Collaborative: Tracing a Diffuse Architectural Authorship, 1945—1995, along with Gabriel Cira and Emma Pfeiffer. He is a member of the Boston chapter of The Architecture Lobby and was the organization's former National Design Coordinator. Online ISSN: 2572-7338 Print ISSN: 1091-711X © 2023 James Heard2023James Heard Thresholds (2023) (51): 64–79. https://doi.org/10.1162/thld_a_00777 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation James Heard; Feeling the Heat in Hollywood: Professionals, Surveillance, and the Landscape of Los Angeles. Thresholds 2023; (51): 64–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/thld_a_00777 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsThresholds Search Advanced Search This content is only available as a PDF. © 2023 James Heard2023James Heard Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

COVID-19 Housing Policy: State and Federal Eviction Moratoria and Supportive Measures in the United States During the Pandemic

This article provides the first comprehensive description of federal and state housing policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning on March 13, 2020, the federal government, 43 states, the District of Columbia, and five American territories issued eviction moratoria that varied in terms of justification, the stage(s) of eviction frozen, the duration and source of protections, and the eligible population. There were cross-state differences in implementation of the two federal eviction moratoria and in additional renter-supportive measures. Although eviction moratoria were largely justified on public health grounds, protections were lifted or weakened prior to control of the pandemic. Moratoria—especially those that froze the earliest stages of the eviction process—significantly reduced eviction filings. The descriptive and analytic framework detailed here provides researchers and practitioners with the tools to advance, evaluate, and refine renter protection strategies that serve to safeguard communities from housing loss.

Placing U.S. Federal Housing Policy on a Secure Foundation: The SHELTER Plan

Problem, research strategy, and findings U.S. housing advocates have called for a fundamental rethinking of the nation’s federal housing policies. In this study, I examined the geographic and household-level consequences of a plan that redistributes federal income tax expenditures from homeowners to very-low-income households. I propose, defend, and illustrate the effects of the SHELTER plan, a redistributive policy that a) is revenue neutral, b) is tenure neutral, c) is progressive, d) prioritizes local redistribution, and e) targets excess revenues to affordable housing production subsidies in communities where an increase in cash-based housing assistance is most likely to inflate housing rents. I demonstrate that the savings from the elimination of four homeownership tax expenditures would provide more than enough revenue to fund a universal housing allowance for all very-low-income households. Ignoring housing market adjustments, the plan would reduce housing cost burdens for the nation’s very-low-income renters by 36% and reduce very-low-income homeowners’ cost burdens by 28%. Takeaway for practice The SHELTER plan would provide a new foundation for local affordable housing and community development practice. Very-low-income households would receive a guaranteed housing allowance with no strings attached and local planners would have new roles in the design and implementation of localized solutions to the affordable housing crisis.

On the Impact of Federal Housing Policies on Racial Inequality

Using data on the value of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance between 1935 and 1939, I estimate the effect of the agency's program on racial disparities in home ownership and home values. The distance between an FHA office and counties within its jurisdiction is used as an instrument. I find that insurance activity had a negligible effect on the racial gap in home ownership and a sizable effect on the gap in home values. Results suggest that while African American households continued to acquire homes, they may have chosen lower-priced properties, as they lacked the same access to credit as White buyers.

Impact of Federal, State, and Local Housing Policies on Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease in Black/African American Men and Women: From Policy to Pathways to Biology.

Racist and discriminatory federal, state, and local housing policies significantly contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality for individuals that self-identify as Black or African American. Here we highlight three key housing policies – “redlining,” zoning, and the construction of highways – which have wrought a powerful, sustained, and destructive impact on cardiovascular health in Black/African American communities. Redlining and highway construction policies have restricted access to quality health care, increased exposure to carcinogens such as PM2.5, and increased exposure to extreme heat. At the root of these policy decisions are longstanding, toxic societal factors including racism, segregation, and discrimination, which also serve to perpetuate racial inequities in cardiovascular health. Here, we review these societal and structural factors and then link them with biological processes such as telomere shortening, allostatic load, oxidative stress, and tissue inflammation. Lastly, we focus on the impact of inflammation on the immune system and the molecular mechanisms by which the inflamed immune microenvironment promotes the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. We propose that racial residential segregation and discrimination increases tissue inflammation and cytokine production, resulting in dysregulated immune signaling, which promotes plaque formation and cardiovascular disease. This framework has the power to link structural racism not only to cardiovascular disease, but also to cancer.

Impact of Federal, State, and Local Housing Policies on Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease in Black/African American Men and Women: From Policy to Pathways to Biology

Impact of Federal, State, and Local Housing Policies on Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease in Black/African American Men and Women: From Policy to Pathways to Biology

Does pre-purchase counseling help low-income buyers choose and sustain homeownership in socially mixed destination neighborhoods?

ABSTRACT For 3 decades, U.S. federal housing policies have sought to increase access to socially diverse and high opportunity neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for low-income families. Absent from current discussions of the costs and benefits of socially mixed communities is the potential value that they may have to low-income families seeking to purchase their own homes. In this paper, we examine the extent to which participation in homebuyer education and counseling programs supports sustainable low-income homeownership in socially mixed neighborhoods. Using quasi-experimental methodologies and longitudinal data from the Denver Housing Study for a sample of 533 low-income homebuyers, this study examines whether, compared with a comparison group of public housing residents who purchased homes on their own, participants in Denver Housing Authority’s (DHA) homebuyer education and counseling program (HOP) were (1) more likely to purchase homes in socially mixed destination neighborhoods; and (2) sustain homeownership over time. Results show that low-income homebuyers purchased homes in destination neighborhoods characterized by considerable ethnic and income mix. When compared to non-HOP homebuyers, HOP homebuyers also were better off in terms of 2018 home value appreciation and fewer foreclosures, suggesting that homebuyer education and counseling improves long-term sustainability of homeownership.

Young Land Occupations and the Failure of Housing Policy in Brazil

ABSTRACT How suitable are federal housing policies and slum upgrading programs for those living in young land occupations? Scholars rarely ask this question because research and policy target well-established settlements that have acquired tenure security. In contrast, young land occupations are highly vulnerable, emergent settlements threatened with eviction and are not sufficiently visible to attract government and scholarly attention. Through a multiyear collaboration with activists, social movements, nonprofits, and residents of young land occupations in São Paulo, Brazil, this participatory action research elucidates who occupies these locations and why, where they come from, and the housing struggles they face. A survey administered to 906 households depicts land occupiers as uniformly very poor and vulnerable, unlike the low- to modest-income dwellers of consolidated informal settlements. An assessment of existing social housing programs emphasizes the need to develop housing assistance and upgrading programs specifically targeting the socioeconomic conditions of land occupiers, thus proactively supporting them.

Opportunities for Better Federal Housing Policy: How the Biden Administration and Congress Can Improve Housing Affordability

Opportunities for Better Federal Housing Policy: How the Biden Administration and Congress Can Improve Housing Affordability

De Estándares Mínimos de Calidad a estrategias proyectuales: aportes disciplinares a los parámetros técnicos de la Vivienda Social en Argentina

&lt;p&gt;Considerando al proyecto como herramienta fundamental en la producción de conocimiento y a la Investigación Proyectual como un marco epistemológico pertinente para una investigación en arquitectura, este trabajo propone reconocer estrategias proyectuales hacia la adaptabilidad en los Estándares Mínimos de Calidad para Viviendas de Interés Social. Se hipotetiza que el cuerpo normativo no establece variables o indicadores que permitan establecer un patrón de referencia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aunque este trabajo recorta en la mediación de las políticas federales de vivienda en Argentina, en el análisis de la vivienda masiva se encuentra la posibilidad de revisar las pautas proyectuales que aún vigentes, determinan límites para la consideración de la adaptabilidad como factor mínimo de calidad. Como premisa describe además una particular y extendida forma de concebir el proyecto de la Vivienda Social. Parte de las conclusiones exponen que existe una relación directa entre el alcance de los estándares en términos discursivos y su valor técnico-proyectual –estrategias. Reconociendo esta situación como condicionante de la capacidad de los prototipos habitacionales para alcanzar satisfactorios niveles cualitativos, se sugieren entonces adecuaciones a lo establecido desde variables de interés específico para la arquitectura de la vivienda y como parte de los aportes disciplinares.&lt;/p&gt;

The Persistence of Residential Segregation by Race, 1940 to 2010: The Role of Federal Housing Policy

Has public policy shaped the persistence of residential segregation by race over time? Social Structures of Accumulation (SSA) theory, which explains major shifts in policy paradigms as a response to an economic crisis informs our analysis. We compare federal housing policy across two SSAs: the Keynesian period (1940–1970) characterized by welfare state expansion and the neoliberal period (1970–2010) marked by its contraction. Using the isolation index (a segregation measure), we track changes in the 20 Great Migration cities with the highest Southern-born Black population. Segregation rose steadily from 1940 to 1970s, plateaued at high levels from 1970 to 2010, but remained higher in 2010 than in 1940. Historical policy analysis reveals that regardless of the period, federal housing policy actively promoted residential segregation and underscores the urgency for social workers to mobilize for policy change.

Evaluation of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in New York City Public Housing After Implementation of the 2018 Federal Smoke-Free Housing Policy

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is associated with many health conditions in children and adults. Millions of individuals in the US are currently exposed to SHS in their homes. To investigate whether a federal ban on smoking in public housing settings was associated with a decrease in indoor SHS levels in New York City public housing developments 12 months after the policy's implementation. This cohort study tracked indoor air quality longitudinally from April 2018 to September 2019 and used difference-in-differences analysis to examine SHS exposure before vs after implementation of the 2018 federal smoke-free housing (SFH) policy in 10 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings vs 11 matched low-income buildings not subject to the SFH policy (ie, Section 8 buildings). Federal SFH policy implementation, beginning July 30, 2018. Comparison of nicotine concentration levels from passive, bisulfate-coated filters before vs 12 months after implementation of the federal SFH policy. Secondary outcomes included changes in particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter, measured with low-cost particle monitors, and counts of cigarette butts in common areas. Air quality was measured repeatedly in a total of 153 NYCHA and 110 Section 8 nonsmoking households as well as in 91 stairwells and hallways. Before the SFH policy implementation, air nicotine was detectable in 19 of 20 stairwells (95.0%) in NYCHA buildings and 15 of 19 stairwells (78.9%) in Section 8 buildings (P = .19) and in 17 of 19 hallways (89.5%) in NYCHA buildings and 14 of 23 hallways (60.9%) in Section 8 buildings (P = .004). Nicotine was detected less frequently inside nonsmoking apartments overall (26 of 263 [9.9%]) but more frequently in NYCHA apartments (20 of 153 [13.1%]) than in Section 8 apartments (6 of 110 [5.5%]) (P = .04). One year after policy implementation, there was no differential change over time in nicotine concentrations measured in stairwells (DID, 0.03 μg/m3; 95% CI, -0.99 to 1.06 μg/m3) or inside nonsmoking households (DID, -0.04 μg/m3; 95% CI, -0.24 to 0.15 μg/m3). Larger decreases in nicotine concentration were found in NYCHA hallways than in Section 8 hallways (DID, -0.43 μg/m3; 95% CI, -1.26 to 0.40 μg/m3). The findings suggest that there was no differential change in SHS in NYCHA buildings 12 months after SFH policy implementation. Additional support may be needed to ensure adherence to SFH policies.

Landlord Paternalism: Housing the Poor with a Velvet Glove

Abstract Private landlords play an important role in America’s poverty governance, with profound effects on poor families and neighborhoods. Drawing on data from interviews with 127 landlords in Baltimore, Dallas, and Cleveland, we ask how landlords understand their role as purveyors of affordable housing. We find that landlords think about their tenants in moral terms, drawing upon cultural categories to describe and define their tenants. Landlords see renting to the urban poor as a social good insofar as it facilitates housing those in need on the condition of their moral reform. We identify two components of this strategy: exclusion and reform. Landlords pursue profit through exclusionary tactics such as screening and eviction. While recent research has focused on this component, this article explores how landlords also invest resources in “training” tenants, attempting to mold them into a profitable ideal, rather than replacing them. Using both incentives and surveillance, landlords seek to create a tenant class that conforms to mainstream notions of responsibility and self-reliance. We argue that exclusion and reform are complementary components of paternalistic poverty governance. Landlord paternalism carries special salience in today’s increasingly privatized federal housing policy, where landlords have a great deal of discretion and little oversight.

Question worth 20 million lives: Why federal housing assistance has not had its Obamacare

AbstractThe equitable character of a policy determines its progressiveness, yet some domestic policies are more equitable than others. The question of how and why this is the case is addressed by studying federal housing and health policies in the United States, a critical case known for its rampant inequalities in both sectors. Although social equity is a fundamental aspect of welfare provision, explaining differences in coverage and government support among policy areas remains a weakness in the literature. This comparative historical analysis shows that both housing assistance and health care suffered from inequities almost as early as their inception. But a progressive reform took shape with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and extended coverage to 20 million people formerly uninsured. This essay tackles an unsolved puzzle: Why has such grand policy reform never taken place in housing where more than 20 million people are eligible for assistance but do not receive help? We found that it is largely explained by housing assistance distinctiveness with regard to its weak constituency, racial connotation and low public concern. We conclude with the analytical payoffs of studying social equity, both for political scientists and observers of social affairs.

Realizing housing justice through comprehensive housing policy reform

ABSTRACT A globally connected, locally centred housing justice movement calls for comprehensive reforms of policies that influence the distribution and affordability of housing. To date, this movement has yet to influence U.S. federal housing policy, which has historically prioritized tax expenditures supporting homeownership over affordable rental housing subsidies for low-income households. This paper takes these appeals to housing justice seriously and asks, ‘What would a conception of housing justice offer to housing policy makers seeking to enact comprehensive housing policy reforms designed to shift the balance of federal housing policy priorities away from homeownership towards the satisfaction of low-income households’ basic housing needs?’ I propose a conception of housing justice grounded in the ideal of civic equality, apply civic equality toward the evaluation of current U.S. federal housing policy, and propose a comprehensive national housing policy reform that is consistent with civic equality. The proposed ‘negative housing tax’ extends the idea of a negative income tax to a tax on housing consumption and capital gains from home sales. The revenues generated from the tax provide funds to support a guaranteed monthly housing allowance that would be distributed to those facing the most severe housing needs.