How Federal Incentives Can Increase Access for Section 8 Recipients

The reluctance of landlords to rent to recipients of the federal housing assistance program known as Section 8, writes Kriston Capps in Bloomberg CityLab, "locks families into cycles of poverty and segregation" as "landlords in more-affluent neighborhoods especially tend to hold households with assistance at bay." A bill proposed by Delaware Senator Chris Coons and North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer would create more incentives for participating in Section 8. "the bill is filled with carrots for property owners who have fled the program, as well as straightforward cash benefits for others who decide to join."

"The bill draws on recent research into what landlords want — a critical but often overlooked question in discussions about housing aid." Landlord incentives include signing bonuses and inspection reciprocity, as well as a hotline which will connect landlords to HUD. Increasing the number of landlords that accept Housing Choice Vouchers, says Sen. Coons, will give more Americans "greater choices and opportunities in finding a home to build their foundation upon." With the end of the federal eviction moratorium looming and many households teetering on the edge of homelessness, the bill could bring welcome reform to "a federal housing assistance program that has long been beleaguered by years-long waiting lists and administrative burdens."