U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Washington, DC
Performing Organization(s):
Abt Associates, Inc. Cambridge, MA
Chicago Univ. Chicago, IL
Availability:
HUD USER, P.O. Box 23268, Washington, DC 20026-3268; phone (800) 245-2691; fax (202) 708-9981; or TDD (800) 927-7589
Notes:
See also related document, PB-239 507.
Descriptors:
Experimental Housing Allowance Prg. Direct cash assistance for renters. Housing costs. Program evaluation. Effects of government policies. Policy development.
Abstract:
A condensed description of all essential components of the Experimental Design and Analysis Plan of the Housing Allowance Demand Experiment is given in this summary. The experiment is an essential part of the Experimental Housing Allowance Program which provides for the direct payment of housing assistance to needy families. Such direct payment is intended to increase consumer choice and responsibility. The major objective of the experiment is to see how the households use their housing allowances. HUD departments and private firms involved in this experiment are mentioned in the text. The experiment focuses on how participants respond to controlled variation in allowance programs and compares this program's effectiveness to other existing housing assistance and income maintenance programs. The eight policy questions, used as the basis for evaluation design, address four different evaluation concerns: (1) whether a housing allowance is feasible, either alone or in conjunction with other programs, (2) the effectiveness of a housing allowance program compared to existing forms of housing assistance and income maintenance, (3) the enhancement of recipient initiative, and (4) what forms of allowance payments are best. Design considerations, design space elements, and how the experiment is to be conducted are mentioned, along with the types of reports the experiment will create. Design charts are included.
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