The Spatial Concentration of Subsidized Housing - Poverty & Race ...

cannot be altered quickly. Therefore it could be argued that all site-based subsidizedhousing, regardless of the specific program, should be required to assess the impact tothe proposed location taking into consideration the existing subsidized housing, theexisting poverty rate, and the increases that would be brought about by the proposedproject.Deconcentration policy could consist of incentives such as greater funding forprojects in lower poverty areas or development of effective relocation assistanceprograms for households using vouchers to move to lower poverty areas. Regulatorychanges could be implemented that include restrictions on siting in areas with existinghigh concentrations of subsidized housing and poverty concentrations. New rentalhousing construction in lower poverty areas, voucher deconcentration, and regulatoryrestrictions on siting of new projects are complementary interventions and could beimplemented at the same time for greatest effect.An important next step in setting housing policy regarding the geographicconcentration of subsidized housing is to define just what we mean by concentration.At this point in time we have empirical data from this study and others that indicatethat some areas have substantially more subsidized housing than others and thatsubsidized housing in metropolitan areas is highly concentrated. This study adds tothat knowledge by clarifying that there are multiple types of subsidized housinglocated in these areas of concentration, however we still lack specificity as to what ismeant by concentration. Additional work is needed in determining 1) the geographic125