By the mid-1990s, massive public housing projects had fallen out of the federal government’s favor. Decrepit housing projects were demolished and former tenants were given housing vouchers, which allowed them to rent private units. Voucher holders dispersed from poor inner-city projects to working and middle class suburban neighborhoods. Voucher program advocates argued that by de-concentrating poverty, associated social problems, like crime, would decline. But, controversy soon arose (as reported in a 2008 article in The Atlantic). Citing research by criminologists and social scientists, suburbanites contended that crime in their neighborhoods increased as former project tenants moved into their neighborhoods.
A recent Urban Studies article argues that blaming housing voucher households was misguided. The study of housing and crime data revealed no relationship between suburban housing voucher households and crime. While crime rates may be higher in communities where housing vouchers are more frequently used, the data suggest that increased crime is not being committed by voucher households. This is consistent with a recent Furman Center policy brief describing research that shows voucher households tend to move to higher crime neighborhoods, thus explaining the perceived correlation between voucher households and crime.
