Three-Quarters of D.C. Housing Vouchers Go Unused

Hindered by bureaucratic delays and a tight housing market, voucher recipients in the District have a hard time finding available units.

1 minute read

August 14, 2022, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Washington D.C. Row Houses

Kim Seidl / Shutterstock

Ten months after District of Columbia voters approved a tax increase to fund housing and supportive services for the district’s most vulnerable residents, only a fraction of people who received housing vouchers have moved into housing, reports Julie Zauzmer Weil in the Washington Post. “While the city gave out an unprecedented 2,400 permanent vouchers, just 555 people have managed to use them to move into apartments, locked out by a tight housing market and D.C. Housing Authority delays.”

The city has taken steps to speed up the process, such as passing emergency legislation allowing tenants to use vouchers without having to provide identification documents, which many people lose while homeless. “And the city agreed to address another complaint from case managers: that while their clients could pay rent using their housing vouchers, many large apartment buildings charge ‘amenity fees’ that vouchers wouldn’t cover.” The District will now pay move-in or other fees that previously prevented people from securing a lease.

Other kinks that slow down the process remain. For example, the Housing Authority must inspect units before voucher holders can move in, prompting some prospective tenants to lose housing to other renters who can move in—and pay—right away. To speed up this step, “DCHA is looking at inspecting certain units even before a voucher holder identifies the apartment as a place they want to rent.”

Friday, August 12, 2022 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight