Redefining Rental Housing Choice in the Housing Choice Voucher Program

Tenant housing choice is the cornerstone of the federal Housing Choice Voucher program. Housing choice should result in more diverse residential location choices for subsidized low-income households; however, these outcomes are not as strong as policymakers and researchers wish. Drawing upon spatial location data for voucher-subsidized households and a review of the existing literature on the Housing Choice Voucher program, this chapter argues for an expanded notion of housing choice that more fully acknowledges the role of landlords and housing authorities in shaping tenant location choices. This chapter also explores ways for policy designers to recognize and capitalize upon these alternate choice structures in posing program reforms.