This study is among the first efforts in the District of Columbia to identify the population of people facing housing insecurity and better understand their characteristics in order to build an informed and properly targeted infrastructure of support.
With an estimated 1 in 10 people in DC experiencing housing insecurity, the need for services and support is extensive. Expanding affordable housing, whether through building new affordable housing or preserving and restoring existing affordable housing, is a primary need. Subsidized housing through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program has proven to be an effective tool to address housing insecurity and has shown to work as well for Black non-Hispanic families as white non-Hispanic families.
Robyn Rapoport, Elizabeth Sciupac, Hope Wilson, and Cameron McPhee contributed to this research.