Achieving Economic Self-Sufficiency Through Housing Assistance: An Assessment of a Self-Sufficiency Program of the Housing Authority of Champaign County, Illinois. Issue 6 (2nd November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lee, Han Bum; McNamara, Paul E.
• Is Part Of: Housing policy debate. Volume 28:Issue 6(2018)
• Page Start: 876
• Page End: 900
• Publication Date: 2018-11-02
• Subjects: public housing authority -- Moving to Work -- work disincentives -- work requirement -- sanction -- economic self-sufficiency; Housing policy -- United States -- Periodicals; Housing -- United States -- Finance -- Periodicals; Housing policy; Public housing -- Finance; United States; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.58097305
• DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2018.1474123
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1051-1482

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study examines the early impact of a Local Self-Sufficiency (LSS) program of the Housing Authority of Champaign County (HACC), Illinois, on recipients' total annual household income and earnings, and employment. In 2013, HACC, through LSS, mandated work requirements for households with working-age, able-bodied adult members and imposed sanctions on those who did not meet the program requirements. We find that, between 2012 and 2014, the LSS program led to an average increase of $2, 283 in earnings for an individual household. In aggregate, this allowed HACC to serve an additional 98 (9%) LSS-eligible households for a year. Also, LSS-eligible households experienced an increase in the employment–adult ratio by 11.6 percentage points. The LSS program also had a larger impact for more economically disadvantaged households with no prior work history.