Are Vouchers a Barrier to Housing Access? Evidence from Baltimore city

Using a sample of 600 households from Baltimore City, this paper investigates whether housing vouchers rather than enabling access serve as barriers to housing because of the negative signals that vouchers convey to the potential landlords. The extant literature suggests that vouchers are a significant barrier to housing access, notwithstanding the legislation against such discrimination. In the context of a broader study on housing access in Baltimore City, some specific evidence was uncovered that revealed that housing vouchers were not barriers to obtaining affordable housing. This is an important finding in the context of evaluating the efficacy of housing vouchers as a policy intervention instrument.

Keywords: Baltimore City; Barriers to affordable housing, rent vouchers; housing choice voucher program.