Thousands of households are behind on rent in the Washington region ggwash.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ggwash.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A version of this article first appeared in Next City.
In 2008, the Department of Housing and Urban Development began a study that was meant to track the impact of various types of assistance for families experiencing homelessness. The Department identified 2,282 families living in shelters in 12 cities across the United States, and randomly assigned them to four different types of interventions. One group was given a housing choice voucher, also known as a Section 8 voucher, which tenants can use to make up the difference between what they can afford to pay for housing and what landlords charge for rent. Another group of families were placed in housing with support services on a temporary basis for up to two years. A third group was given rental assistance for up to 18 months, and a fourth group was given “usual care” left to access whatever public assistance they could without additional help.