Still Separate and Unequal: Persistent Racial Segregation and Inequality in Subsidized Housing

Abstract

Initially, U.S. federally funded low-income rental housing was racially segregated and unequal. Activists decried this injustice and pressured legislators to introduce new practices and procedures. Since the passage of these initiatives in the 1960s, scholars have repeatedly documented ongoing racial inequality in housing at large. Yet rarely have researchers investigated whether racial inequality persists within governmentally subsidized housing units. By merging the restricted American Housing Survey with the American Community Survey at a Federal Statistical Research Data Center, the authors find that low-income renter subsidies are effective and beneficial but disproportionately grant White residents access to cheaper and higher quality units. Moreover, subsidized renters remain racially segregated across program type and neighborhoods. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for future research and policy decisions.