New Study Tests Assumptions About Housing Vouchers and Crime

A new paper published in the Urban Studies journal finds a weak, negative relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates. There is no observable relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates in suburban areas.

1 minute read

March 31, 2014, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

A new paper by Michael C. Lens of the Department of Urban Planning at the University of California Los Angeles “tests the common belief that subsidised housing contributes to higher crime rates,” according to the paper’s abstract.

The paper includes a focus on suburban areas to see if the steady increase of housing vouchers in suburban cities have had an impact on violent crime rates.

“In cities, it is found that vouchers have a weak, negative relationship with violent crime rates, although these estimates are not particularly robust. In suburban areas, there is no observed relationship between vouchers and crime…” says the abstract.

The paper also suggests that controversies over vouchers in suburban communities are misguided.

FULL STORY: The Impact of Housing Vouchers on Crime in US Cities and Suburbs

Monday, March 31, 2014 in Urban Studies

Housing Social / Demographics United States Studies Affordable Housing Section 8 vouchers Violent Crime View More

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