Moving to Problems: Unintended Consequences of Housing Vouchers for Child Welfare-Involved Families

Patrick J. Fowler
Washington University in St. Louis

Andrew Foell
University of Illinois at Chicago

Anne K. Rufa
Michael Schoeny
Rush University

Local child welfare services increasingly partner with public housing and homeless agencies to connect families whose housing insecurity threatens child safety with subsidized housing vouchers. The partnerships assume that access to safe and stable affordable housing offers timely support that mitigates risks for child maltreatment. Although housing vouchers appear effective at reducing material hardship and improving unit quality, it remains unclear whether vouchers facilitate moves into neighborhoods that bolster family and child development. A concern exists that voucher programs may push vulnerable families into more marginalized communities that inadvertently jeopardize child safety. Using a longitudinal randomized trial of the HUD-sponsored Family Unification Program (FUP) in Chicago, Illinois, the present study investigates neighborhood attainment of inadequately housed child welfare-involved families referred for either Housing Choice Vouchers plus housing advocacy (n = 78) or housing advocacy alone (n = 78). Results show that 2.5 years after random assignment inadequately housed child welfare-involved families referred for FUP vouchers resided in neighborhoods characterized by significantly greater concentrated disadvantage and violent crime rates than housing advocacy services alone.