HOUSING VOUCHERS AND CERTIFICATES AS A VEHICLE FOR DECONCENTRATING THE POOR - EVIDENCE FROM THE WASHINGTON, DC, METROPOLITAN-AREA

The authors analyze the census tract location of over 11,000 certifica te and voucher households in Washington, D.C., and its suburbs, and co mpare those to the distribution of public housing and various other pr oject-based subsidized housing developments such as Section 236. They find evidence that household mobility programs may be succeeding in th e goal of dispersing affordable housing opportunities beyond the centr al-city boundary, but they also find evidence that market forces and p ersonal choices may lead toward reconcentration of suburban voucher an d certificate holders in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status and higher proportions of minorities.