Program Housing Standards in the Experimental Housing Allowance Program: Analyzing Differences in the Demand and Supply Experiments

摘要

This study compared the housing standards applied in the Demand and Supply Experiments of the Experimental Housing Allowance Program (EHAP) to resolve the issue of to what degree differences in failure rates arose from differences in the physical condition of the housing units and to what degree they arose from the application of different program standards. To determine this, housing evaluators from the two experiments were asked to assess a common sample of housing units in each of the Demand and Supply Experiment sites. Results showed that differences in program standards as written and implemented caused the failure rates to differ significantly. These results suggest that each item in a set of housing standards should be carefully weighed regarding its probable effect on the initial failure rates of units and the difficulty and cost of correcting the deficiency. The basic approach to the implementation of program housing standards in both the Demand and Supply Experiments should be reassessed with a view toward greater flexibility and a better linkage between these standards and their ultimate objective -- insuring the health, safety, and general welfare of allowance program participants. The appendices discuss measures of differences in failure rates, data development, sources of items on the master list, and housing evaluation forms. Tabular data are provided.