The Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration was established to give public housing authorities (PHAs) and HUD flexibility to design and test various approaches for providing and administering housing assistance that:

1. Reduce cost and achieve greater cost effectiveness in Federal expenditures;
2. Give incentives to families with children where the head of household is working, seeking work, or is preparing for work by participating in job training, educational programs, or programs that assist people to obtain employment and become economically self-sufficient; and
3. Increase housing choices for low-income families

The 33 current MTW agencies manage over 11% of all public housing units and near 13% of all vouchers. Combined, they receive roughly $2.7 billion in voucher funding, $730 million in public housing operating funds and $380 million in capital funds.

MTW was legislated in 1996, implemented in 1999 and is set to run until the end of each participating agency’s 2018 fiscal year. Over ten years into the demonstration, it is an opportune time to assess lessons learned from the early years of the demonstration in order to shape the coming years.