A new report released by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research titled “Memphis Murder Revisited: Do Housing Vouchers Cause Crime” examines the link between the presence of Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) holders in a neighborhood and crime. The report examines four sets of regression models that test whether the presence of additional housing vouchers coincides with higher levels of crime, controlling for various locational and demographic characteristics.
The report finds little evidence that an increase in the number of HCV holders in a given neighborhood leads to more crime. The report does seem to suggest that neighborhood crime is greater over the course of a year in census tracts with a greater number of voucher holders in that year, yet that positive relationship disappears after the crime rate in previous years is controlled for. Finally the report also suggests a reverse causal relationship where the number of vouchers in a given neighborhood tends to increase in census tracts with rising crime, which means voucher holders may be more likely to move to neighborhoods when crime rates are rising.
To read the full report, click here.
