In 1993, 4.1 million households lived in HUD-assisted rental units in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Subsidized households thus make up a full one-fourth of the 15.8 million U.S. rental households whose incomes make them eligible for assistance -- an indicator of the large role that HUD plays in helping low-income families obtain housing.
Of the total number of subsidized households in 1993, 28 percent lived in public housing units, 30 percent received housing vouchers or certificates, and 42 percent lived in units assisted by various private, project-based HUD rental subsidy programs. Those programs included Section 8 new construction, Section 8 substantial or moderate rehabilitation units, Section 202 elderly housing, and other programs.
Different programs serve a varying mix of households. Among the 1.2 million households served by HUD's voucher and certificate programs -- which pay part of the rent for families to live in privately owned existing housing -- 61 percent of renters were families with children. But only about 45 percent of the 1.1 million residents of public housing and 41 percent of the 1.7 million private, project-based renters were families with children.
In contrast, certificate and voucher holders were less likely to be
elderly than those in other programs. Only
18 percent of certificate and voucher holders were elderly, compared with
approximately 36 percent of public housing and 39 percent of private project
residents.
Differences in racial and ethnic composition were also evident among the three types of programs. More than one-half (54 percent) of public housing residents were African American, compared with 34 percent of certificate and voucher holders and 35 percent in private assisted projects. African Americans made up approximately 27 percent of the total population of low-income renters. Approximately 10 percent of renters in all programs were Hispanic, a slightly smaller percentage than their 14-percent representation in the total population of income-eligible households.
Although all subsidized households are considered low income, public housing tenants had the lowest median annual incomes ($7,267) of the three programs. Households in private, project-based units had the highest ($8,385) -- only slightly higher than the median income of certificate and voucher holders ($8,119).
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research has just released Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Renters and Their Units in 1993 and a companion volume, Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Renters and Their Units in 1991. These two works join an earlier volume of 1989 data to provide a wealth of detail on the characteristics and housing conditions of low-income renters, making point-by-point comparisons possible over a 5-year period. The data set was compiled by matching sample households in the American Housing Survey with addresses of HUD-assisted projects and public housing authority lists of certificate and voucher holders.
Copies of Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Renters and Their Units in 1993 and Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Renters and Their Units in 1991 are available from HUD USER for $5 each.