Voucher recipient achievement of improved housing conditions in the US: Domoving distance and relocation services matter?

When householders are vouchered-out from distressed, federally subsidised p rivate developments in the US and receive moderate relocation counselling, does that counselling lead to a more intensive housing search, longer-dista nce moves and higher levels of housing satisfaction? Multiple regression an alysis was applied to a data-set containing survey and geographical informa tion (for example, distance moved, median neighbourhood income level) for 2 01 voucher recipients in 4 cities. The analysis was used to determine if th e use of relocation counselling services (as well as the type of services u tilised) and distance moved helped to explain variations in housing satisfa ction. Those who used counselling services were in fact more likely to be s atisfied with their new home than were those who were unaware of these serv ices. However, those who were aware of the services but did not use them fa red as well as householders who used them. Counselling to help in dealings with landlords was the most influential type of relocation assistance vis a vis housing satisfaction. The distance householders moved played an insign ificant role in the analysis. This finding undoubtedly reflects the fact th at voucher recipients sought to remain in or close to their original neighb ourhood to be near friends and relatives and familiar bus lines, and the fa ct that better housing units offering a greater sense of safety were availa ble in the same neighbourhood or in neighbourhoods adjacent to the vouchere d-out development. Implications for HUD's vouchering-out policy are discuss ed.