Easing the Transition: Housing Assistance for Rural TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) Recipients

摘要

For families leaving welfare, finding and maintaining affordable housing can present a great challenge. On average, a person leaving welfare earns $1,261 in monthly wages or $15,132 per year1 and spends more than half of that income (58 percent) on housing costs (Sard 2002). Although resources such as public housing and Section 8 vouchers exist, these programs either have long waiting lists or face drastic programmatic changes.2 Many families that qualify for traditional housing assistance programs based on need may not receive aid since these programs are not entitlement based. Housing is consistently the most expensive monthly expenditure in a familys budget. According to guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), housing should account for no more than 30 percent of a households income (HUD 2003). Despite these guidelines, studies show that many households pay as much as 60 percent of their monthly income for housing costs (NLIHC 2002). When households pay much of their income for housing, little is left over to pay for other necessities such as food, utilities, health care, or clothing. In rural America, where over 21 percent of all households are cost burdened (that is, they pay more than 30 percent of their income for their housing) and 10 percent are dependent on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the connections between housing assistance and welfare reform are particularly interesting. Research has shown that housing assistance is crucial to maintaining self-sufficiency, easing the transition to work from welfare. States have realized the importance of housing subsidies and have created programs to support this need. This study will examine how TANF-funded housing assistance programs are implemented and assess whether they are reaching rural households.