Encouraging Low-Income Households to Make Location-Efficient Housing Choices

2016PDFTech ReportNITC-RR-751HousingLow income groupsResidential locationTravel costsFixed destinationsPublic housingToolkitsVoucher programsPortland (Oregon)National Institute for Transportation and CommunitiesTremoulet, Andr\ue9eDann, Ryan J.Adkins, ArliePortland State University. Center for Urban StudiesNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATIONNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-PLANNING AND POLICYNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Social ImpactsUS Transportation CollectionTransportation costs are typically a household\u2019s second-largest expense after housing and, on average, account for about one-fifth of household spending. Low-income households are especially burdened by transportation costs, with low-income households spending up to two times as much of their income on transportation than higher-income households (Litman, 2013). This project involved the development of a set of tools intended to assist Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program participants in the Portland metro region with considering not just the housing characteristics and quality, but also the associated transportation options and costs, they were choosing when they moved. The toolkit included both messaging elements (a six-minute video and a brochure) and access to tools (including Walk Score Apartment Finder and a house search checklist) that the four regional public housing authorities integrated into their meetings with HCV participants planning to move. The rental vacancy rate in the region hovered around 3% in most places in the region during the study period, making it extremely difficult for low-income households, even with vouchers, to find housing. Thus, a pre-test, post-test evaluation design failed to find many significant differences between the outcomes of the intervention and control groups. However, from focus groups of HCV participants who had moved, the authors discovered that housing situated within individualized networks of frequent, non-interchangeable destinations (e.g., the home of a significant relative, one\u2019s church, one\u2019s place of employment) may be instrumental in reducing transportation costs. Further research is needed in this area