NLIHC Research

NLIHC created the Rental Housing Programs Database (RHPD) to generate a better understanding of the diverse ways in which state and local governments use their own financial resources to close the gap between available federal funding for rental housing and the unmet needs of renters in their communities. The RHPD captures information on state and locally funded programs that create, preserve, or increase access to affordable rental housing; it includes program goals, target populations, tenant eligibility requirements, and other program characteristics. You can read a summary of findings from the 2023 RHPD update in our report, State and Local Investments in Rental Housing.

NLIHC and its research partners produced multiple reports about emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs designed and implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The variation of features like subsidy structure, application accessibility, documentation requirements, and outreach, across ERA programs provide lessons for the future.

• Learning from a Crisis: Strategies to Increase Flexibilities in Housing Choice Voucher Implementation (2024): The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program currently assists over two million households. However, renters face challenges in both accessing and using HCVs due to scarcity of resources, burdensome requirements, uninterested landlords, and racial discrimination. Learning from and incorporating flexibilities from pandemic-era initiatives, such as ERA, the Emergency Housing Voucher program, and waivers authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, into the HCV program could allow public housing agencies to address these challenges, improving access to and utilization of the program.
• Beyond Housing Stability: Understanding Tenant and Landlord Experiences and the Impact of Emergency Rental Assistance (2023): NLIHC, the Housing Initiative at Penn, and the Reinvestment Fund released a joint report on tenant and landlord experiences with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s ERA Program. The report finds that Treasury’s ERA program offered a vital lifeline to tenants and landlords during the pandemic, improving outcomes in areas beyond housing stability, including financial security, child well-being, access to healthcare, and overall health. The report provides suggestions for future housing stability programs as well as policy recommendations.
• Emergency Rental Assistance during the Pandemic: Implications for the Design of Permanent ERA Programs (2022): The report examines a broad range of ERA programs and provides lessons that would be useful in future efforts to establish a permanent ERA program.

Click here for additional reports on the implementation of ERA.

• The Role of Vouchers in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (2024): The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program was originally intended for use in the private market, but a subset of HCVs is used for affordable housing units financed through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. This article examines the relationship between these programs, which are two of the most significant federal sources of affordable housing funding. It provides background information on each program, reviews what is known about their relationship, and identifies areas for data improvements and future research that can inform federal policymaking.
• Aligning Federal Low Income Housing Programs with Housing Need (2014): NLIHC undertook the Alignment Project to gain a better understanding of how existing federal housing resources are being used and to learn how those existing resources might be better aligned with the need for housing among ELI households. A series of research reports and policy recommendations were produced from the Alignment Project.