Housing Allowance Demand Experiment: Housing Improvements and Upgrading in the Housing Allowance Demand Experiment

This report analyzes the housing improvements of households enrolled in the Housing Allowance Demand Experiment. The analysis focuses first on changes in units to meet the housing requirements tested in the experiment and second on general maintenance, repair, and remodellng activity. The first analysis is based mostly on housing evaluations conducted by program staff; the second relies on household interviews.

Households enrolled in the Housing Gap allowance plans received allowance payments if they met certain housing requirements. Two types of housing requirements were tested .Minimum Standards households were required to live in housing that met specific physical and occupancy requirements. Households in the minimum Rent plans could choose whatever housing characteristics they wished but were required to spend atleast a specified minimum amount for rent.