Allowance program administration : interim findings

Examines early experience of the two agencies that operate housing allowance programs as part of the Housing Assistance Supply Experiment. By most measures, administrative performance in both experimental sites was strikingly similar. Surveys show that most clients thought the programs were well run; few complained about the stringency of error control procedures or about the way they were treated by program staff. Estimated administrative costs averaged $216 per recipient year (in 1976 dollars). Of that total, $70 was spent on housing evaluations and related services and $146 was spent on administering means tests, a cost substantially below the national average for an Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. Incorrect payments due to client and staff errors accounted for less than 1 percent of total payments. Staff training, quality control, management reporting, computer system support, and simplicity of administrative design are discussed here as major factors affecting performance.