Comparing Housing-Assisted and Housing-Unassisted Welfare Leavers in Massachusetts
AbstractThis article is based on survey data collected in Massachusetts between October 1999 and March 2000 to determine the nature, scope, and distribution of housing assistance among families leaving welfare and compare characteristics and postexit outcomes of housing-assisted and housing-unassisted welfare leavers. The author hypothesizes that housing-assisted welfare leavers have more characteristics associated with being more disadvantaged, have longer welfare spells, and have more modest postexit outcomes than unassisted welfare leavers. The analysis was conducted in Massachusetts because of the state’s high proportion of housing-assisted welfare families. The analysis shows that slightly more than half of Massachusetts welfare leavers were receiving housing assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or the state when their welfare case closed and that their housing status changed little 6 to 15 months after leaving welfare. Massachusetts manages approximately 84,000 units of public housing, 62,000 HUD tenant-based rental vouchers, and 9,000 state-assisted housing units. Households receiving housing assistance were as likely to be living in public housing as in subsidized private housing. The housing-assisted group had more characteristics generally associated with being more disadvantaged than the unassisted group. Housing-assisted welfare leavers were more likely to live alone with their children, have more children in the household, and be older, a member of a minority group, or an immigrant having little or no English-language skills. Although housing-assisted welfare leavers were somewhat more likely to be employed, and although approximately half of both groups were employed full time, the housing-assisted welfare leavers commanded a lower average hourly wage. Housing-assisted welfare leavers spent more time on welfare than unassisted welfare leavers; however, both groups had similar rates of welfare recidivism. In addition, the majority of both groups said that their financial situation, emotional well-being, housing, and ability to take care of their children, as well as the amount and kind of food they could afford, improved or stayed the same after leaving welfare. However, housing-assisted welfare leavers were more likely to report that their financial situation had worsened after leaving welfare. Moreover, both groups experienced more food problems after leaving welfare. The author concludes that housing assistance is a major income support for Massachusetts welfare leavers. Yet even in Massachusetts, where welfare recipients are more likely to receive housing assistance than recipients in most other states, a significant unmet need for housing exists. Comparing Housing-Assisted and Housing-Unassisted Welfare Leavers in Massachusetts (*.pdf)
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