Housing the Hispanic Population: Are Special Programs and Policies Needed

摘要

The paper explores the consequences for Federal housing policy of the recent explosive growth of the Hispanic population in the United States. By comparing the housing problems faced by Hispanic households with those of Black and White households of similar family size and income, the author seeks to identify the special housing needs of Hispanic households and determine whether current Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs are adequately addressing them. Hispanics participation in HUD programs is disturbingly low. The author notes that enlisting community-based organizations to conduct education, outreach, and investigation of housing discrimination has yielded encouraging results. In addition, poor Hispanic households are only half as likely as poor Blacks to live in HUD-subsidized rental housing, a fact that the author attributes in large part to the lack of availability of HUD-subsidized rental projects in Hispanic neighborhoods.