CMHA Housing Choice Voucher Landlord Outreach Assessment A thesis submitted to The Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning Of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning by Joseph Jaroscak Bachelor of Political Science and Spanish Butler University May 2009 Committee Chair: Dr. David P. Varady Committee Member: Dr. Shaun Bond Submitted April 5, 2013 Abstract The Housing Choice Voucher program (HCV) in the United States was designed to deconcentrate poverty, but has struggled to do so. One strategy currently utilized by housing authorities is to implement a series of outreach programs to engage a broad group of landlords throughout their jurisdictions. Much of the previous literature on the HCV program focuses on its effectiveness in deconcentrating poverty, with little mention of landlords and their role. This thesis utilizes the work of three classic studies on landlords of low-income housing, with the addition of other sources which mention the importance of landlord programming and additional services for the HCV program to be successful in deconcentrating poverty. Through a qualitative study of landlord outreach programming administered by Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), this thesis seeks to understand the CMHA‘s methods and gauge their effectiveness. Two methods were used to develop this understanding. The first method was through a series of structured no-participant observations of three types of signature landlord programs administered by CMHA. The second method was through semi-structured interviews with key informants including landlords, CMHA staff, and Housing Opportunities Made Equal Staff (HOME). These interviews were informed by the observation phase and developed an understanding of perceptions on the landlord programming as well as the relationships within and between these groups. i ii Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. David Varady, for providing me with guidance and feedback throughout the research and writing process. It was an incredible honor to work with and learn from his wealth of knowledge. I would also like to thank Dr. Shaun Bond, my thesis committee member. His feedback and perspective were valuable in helping shape my thesis and in developing a clear concept. I would like to thank all of the informants who participated in the interview process and shared their insights and knowledge of the HCV program. Additionally, I would like to thank the CMHA staff for cooperating and allowing me to access their events for observation. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family for their boundless support. iii Table of Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... iii Chapter One ................................................................................................................... 1 CMHA HCV Landlord Outreach Assessment Thesis Problem Statement ................ 1 Nature of the Problem .................................................................................................. 1 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 2 Methods ....................................................................................................................... 3 Observation Methodology ............................................................................................ 4 Chapter Outline............................................................................................................ 7 Chapter Two .................................................................................................................. 8 The Predicament of Low-income Landlords: A Literature Review ........................... 8 Early Research on Low-income Landlords .................................................................. 8 More Recent Studies of Low-income Landlords ........................................................ 11 HCV and the Role of Landlords ................................................................................. 12 Chapter Three .............................................................................................................. 15 The Key Players and the Study Area: An Overview ................................................. 15 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 15 Housing Choice Vouchers ......................................................................................... 15 The Role of HUD in HCV ........................................................................................... 17 Overview of CMHA .................................................................................................... 18 Attracting the Landlords ............................................................................................. 19 Chapter Four ................................................................................................................. 23 CMHA Landlord Outreach: Learning by Observing ................................................. 23 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 23 Connecting Landlords with Tenants........................................................................... 24 Recruiting and Informing Landlords ........................................................................... 29 Landlord Workshops .................................................................................................. 44 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 48 Chapter Five ................................................................................................................ 51 Landlord Outreach: CMHA Staff and Landlords Weigh In ....................................... 51 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 51 Landlord/CMHA Relationships ................................................................................... 51 Landlord Financial Burden and Risk .......................................................................... 57 Time, Paperwork, and Inconsistencies ...................................................................... 61 Resources for Landlords ............................................................................................ 62 Value of CMHA Meetings .......................................................................................... 65 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 70 Chapter Six .................................................................................................................. 73 Conclusion: Moving Forward in Landlord Relations ............................................... 73 Research Questions .................................................................................................. 73 Methods ..................................................................................................................... 74 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 74 References ................................................................................................................... 79 iv Chapter One CMHA HCV Landlord Outreach Assessment Thesis Problem Statement Nature of the Problem The Federal Government, through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has made significant changes in the way it funds and makes affordable housing available. As significantly less investment has gone to building public housing developments, the focus has shifted to creating opportunities for qualified candidates to seek housing in the private rental market through subsidies, starting with Section 8 and now through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. Housing Choice Vouchers have shifted the role of housing authorities throughout the nation and have changed the face of affordable housing. An important argument in support of the HCV program is that it will have a significant impact in helping to disperse the heavy concentrations of poverty created via previous affordable housing efforts (especially public housing). However, there is a large amount of research which indicates that voucher recipients often cluster in low- rent communities (Varady, Wang, Wang, & Duhaney 2010, Varady, Wang, Murphy, & Stahlke, 2012). Furthermore, the high concentration of Housing Choice Voucher recipients can lead to severely negative impacts, which may hinder the success and expansion of these programs throughout a region. As part of the HCV program, HUD has mandated that housing authorities implement landlord outreach programming (The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, HUD), in which landlords are recruited and educated about the benefits of accepting HCV participants. This is done through orientation meetings, information sessions on maximizing the program, fairs which allow landlords to