Price Increases Caused by Housing Assistance Programs

Two contrasting methods of subsidizing existing housing are "housing allowances," which rely on the discipline of the market to control price increases, and "Section 8 assistance," which uses institutional regulations to control them. Contrary to preprogram predictions, evidence from actual program operations shows that the market outperforms regulation. Housing allowances cause a 2 percent increase, while Section 8 assistance causes a 26 percent increase, in the price of participants' housing. The Section 8 price increases mean that a substantial portion of the federal subsidy is diverted from participants to their landlords. To prevent that diversion, the Section 8 rules could be revised as follows: structure the subsidy so tenants pay the marginal rent dollar; pay the subsidy directly to tenants so they know they pay the marginal rent dollar; and remove the rent ceiling so it can no longer act as a rent target.