The Housing Choice Voucher program (HCV) is a federally supported demand-side housing subsidy. According to HCV, eligible households are encouraged to secure affordable housing in favorable neighborhoods, including suburban neighborhoods. To what extent, however, is the supply of affordable rental housing located in suburban communities that offer favorable amenities meeting the increased demand? Using the Geography of Opportunity as a framework, this study examines the mobility results of traditional HCV households who moved from the city of Chicago to surrounding suburban neighborhoods to reveal characteristics of destination communities. Findings indicate that HCV households tend to move into suburban renter neighborhoods that have high poor, African American, and female-headed household populations. Policy makers are encouraged to consider findings to improve life outcomes of suburban HCV program participants. 1. Introduction HCV is a federally funded demand-side housing subsidy. Income eligible families who receive vouchers can use the subsidy to secure housing in neighborhoods across the country. Many HCV households often choose to lease-in-place, consequently remaining in the same or similar urban neighborhoods [1]. However, public housing and community revitalization efforts that decrease housing units can restrict lease-in-place opportunities. HCV households therefore may consider suburban communities as a source for affordable rental housing. This study examines HCV mobility within a Geography of Opportunity framework to assess the result of choices made by HCV households in selecting a suburban community in which to live. The Geography of Opportunity framework contends that housing location influences one’s life outcomes. For instance, houses located in communities that have low poverty and crime rates are racially and ethnically diverse and are more likely to offer residents access to high performing schools and better employment opportunities. Examining HCV relocation from a local context, Chicago is the focus of this study. Its experience managing various relocation programs using HCV resulted in numerous studies investigating programmatic success or failure related to intracity relocation. However, research on Chicago HCV relocation from the urban center to suburban spaces is limited. Therefore, the focus of this research is to determine whether the supply of affordable rental housing located in suburban communities, that are complete with characteristics that support positive life achievements, are the location to which Chicago HCV
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