Counselors or Craigslist? Relationships Between Housing Search Resources and Voucher Holders’ Neighborhood Outcomes
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This document summarizes research on how different housing search resources impact outcomes for households with Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV). It finds that households who used online search resources had slightly better objective housing outcomes according to measured indices, though most households reported similar satisfaction levels regardless of resources used. The document also notes that utilizing multiple search resources did not provide additional benefits. It concludes by discussing policy implications like improving internet access, and identifying questions for future research such as why counseling did not appear to provide benefits and how to better orient counseling services.
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Counselors or Craigslist? Relationships Between Housing Search Resources and Voucher Holders’ Neighborhood Outcomes
- 1. Counselors or : How Housing Search Resources Impact HCV Neighborhood Outcomes Michael D. Webb, William M. Rohe, and Kirstin P. Frescoln Center for Urban and Regional Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill mdwebb@unc.edu
- 3. Housing Search Utility maximization • Neoclassical econ • Search is a fn of personal preferences and housing supply • Entire metro falls within the choice set Awareness space • Subset of a mental map • Housing search is biased and limited within AS • …Often around anchor nodes • Search often in 2-5 neighborhoods
- 4. Housing Search & Section 8 • Issues in applying utility maximization to HCV holders: • Constraints: income, VPS • LL refusal • Transportation • Smaller awareness spaces • Draining ties • Need • Time constraints in finding housing • Together, these barriers often result in less-than-desirable housing and neighborhood outcomes
- 5. HCV search strategies Counseling • Longstanding HCV deconcentration goal • Counseling: understand benefits of opportunity NBs, find listings • Range of outcomes (see following) Web searches • Users search within a confined band • Little spatial mismatch: a priori limitations • Searchers still limit themselves to <5 areas • Popular: craigslist, GoSection8, SocialServe.com
- 6. HCV Counseling Outcomes • Knowledge primarily from large, unique projects (HOPE VI, MTO, Chicago/Atlanta) • Gautreaux: strong counseling + motivated tenants = good outcomes • MTO: many housing searches failed; issues finding subsequent housing w/o counseling • Chicago PFT: no obvious relationship between resources and success of search • HOPE VI: HCV holders fared better than public housing relocatees, but worse than others in poverty
- 7. Research Questions & Hypotheses • What types of households were more likely to utilize particular resources? • Do particular housing search resources achieve greater subjective and/or objective housing outcomes? • Counseling will have greater awareness spaces, and more knowledge of opportunity areas • Online resources will have greater awareness spaces, but less knowledge of opportunity areas • Since information is priceless, those utilizing more resources will have better outcomes
- 8. Search resources Counseling Online Friends/Family Driving around Cost Potentially high: transportation, time Minimal, assuming internet access Minimal More than minimal Volume Limited but high-quality High Limited, quality varies Varies depending on effort Primary limitation Time-intensive Internet access Potentially v biased Vehicle access
- 9. Context and Data • Survey of 644 HCV holders in 1H2014 • Demo/SES from survey and admin data • Subjective measures: house/neighborhood satisfaction; crime prev • Objective measures: four indices thru FA • Methods: t-tests, interviews later
- 10. Descriptive Statistics 63% 49% 43% 39% 0 200 400 38 201 218 144 42 Zero One Two Three Four
- 11. School index: elementary, middle, high school proficiency; dropout and truancy rates Access index: proximity to groceries, clinics, pharmacies; transit access Dot colors: Both Counseling only Online only Neither
- 12. Advantage index: household income, house value, homeownership, food stamps Safety index: violent crime, property crime, fire calls Dot colors: Both Counseling only Online only Neither
- 13. Which households were more likely to utilize counseling? Measure Overall Counsel- ing Online Friends/ Family Drive Around Age 49.4 48.9 48.9 50.1 49.3 If Elderly 15% 16% 14% 17% 14% If HOH disabled 38% 40% 36% 34% 36% If other disabled 6% 5% 7% 5% 6% Household size 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 Total income $10,389 $10,213 $10,841 $10,496 $10,538 Wage income $4,469 $4,539 $4,626 $4,489 $4,629 Rent paid $143 $142 $154 $143 $149 If working 30% 31% 31% 31% 31% Education 11.78 11.54 12.09 11.74 11.91 Years with voucher 15.77 18.01 15.86 17.37 19.40 Apartments visited 6.27 6.23 5.86 6.39 6.14 Vehicle ownership 52% 50% 61% 49% 55% Resour ces SESDemo
- 14. What search resources resulted in better housing outcomes? Measure Overall Counseling Online Friends/ Family Drive Around Home Satisfaction 46% 45% 49% 48% 48% NB Satisfaction 41% 41% 42% 42% 41% Perception of crime 0.16 0.17 0.16 0.16 0.16 Advantage -0.91 -0.94 -0.84 -0.89 -0.89 Safety -0.33 -0.37 -0.26 -0.29 -0.34 Schools -0.88 -0.91 -0.81 -0.85 -0.89 Access 0.21 0.23 0.17 0.16 0.19 Total Quality -1.90 -1.98 -1.75 -1.88 -1.92 ObjSubj
- 15. Online Resource & Neighborhood Outcomes Measure Alone Online Driving Friends Alone Driving Friends Home Satisfaction 46% 45% 46% 45% 44% 49% 52% 52% 54% NB Satisfaction 41% 41% 38% 38% 45% 42% 44% 45% 47% Perception of crime 0.16 0.17 0.17 0.16 0.18 0.16 0.16 0.15 0.15 Advantage -0.91 -0.94 -0.89 -0.92 -0.90 -0.84 -0.80 -0.82 -0.80 Safety -0.33 -0.37 -0.30 -0.43 -0.33 -0.26 -0.28 -0.27 -0.31 Schools -0.88 -0.91 -0.84 -0.92 -0.86 -0.81 -0.81 -0.81 -0.82 Access 0.21 0.23 0.21 0.27 0.16 0.17 0.16 0.14 0.15 Total Quality -1.90 -1.98 -1.82 -2.00 -1.93 -1.75 -1.72 -1.76 -1.78 All4 Counseling with … Overall Online with … SubjObj
- 16. Findings • Those who used online resources fared better objectively (c.p.) • No many sig difference between satisfaction and resource used • But … most people satisfied • No value added through multiple resources • Possible contaminating factors?
- 17. Policy Implications and Future Research Policy implications • Apparent benefit of online resources • Aids argument for wifi in developments • Lack of benefit of counseling … why? • Are services oriented toward finding a place, or finding a good place Future research • Interview voucher holders • Which websites work best • Why do people seek counseling? • What, if any, impact of counseling • Interviews with counselors and landlords • Acquire search data from Section 8 websites