Housing Allowance Program Administration

As part of the Housing Assistance Supply Experiment, housing allowance programs were established in Brown County, Wisconsin, and St. Joseph County, Indiana. These programs made monthly payments directly to low- and moderate-income households to help them obtain adequate housing. This report's purpose is in part to synthesize the findings of other studies of program administration in the Supply Experiment, particularly those on administrative costs and eligibility certification. It also presents new material evaluating alternative approaches to performing the various administrative functions required in a housing allowance program. The authors first review the effectiveness and efficiency of program administration in the two sites and examine some of the factors that influenced performance. Then, based on that analysis, they discuss implications for regular operating programs, both for a national housing allowance program and for other programs with similar functions. The review covers the first five years of program operation in both sites, from July 1974 through March 1980.