SAHF and Abt Global Release Studies Highlighting the Benefits of Residential Services in Housing Developments

By Sarita Kelkar, NLIHC Policy Intern 

In March, Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) released two reports documenting the benefits of resident services in affordable housing properties. The first, produced in partnership with Abt Global, demonstrates the benefits to property financial and operating performance. The second emphasizes the improved outcomes for residents. An article by the publication Affordable Housing Finance (AHF) covers these complementary findings.  

Abt Global’s “The Impact of Resident Services on Property Financial Performance” finds that service-enriched properties generate 26% higher Net Operating Income (NOI) than comparable properties without such services. These NOI gains underscore how including resident services not only creates a more supportive environment for tenants, but a strong financial return that sustains affordable housing in the long-term. 

Using 2015-2019 data, Abt Global finds that: 

• Providing resident services in a given year improved NOI by almost $1,200 the following year.  

• Service-enriched properties are associated with higher revenue, marginally lower rent arrears, and reduced levels of bad debt the year following resident services. 

While the U.S. debates solutions to a housing affordability crisis, the report’s findings position resident services as a crucial tool for financing and preserving affordability. SAHF and Abt suggest policymakers should treat resident services as an eligible operating cost and incentivize provision of resident services through mechanisms like LIHTC Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs). NLIHC supports policies that ensure residents receive the necessary services and supports to help them find and keep quality housing. 

SAHF’s companion report, “The Case for Resident Services,” presents data to support the more familiar argument linking services to improve outcomes for tenants: 

• Across most subsidy types, age groups, incomes and geographies, properties with resident services show lower rates (a 24% reduction) and amounts of rent arrears, attributed to consistent on-site resident support. 

• Residents in properties offering employment and/or financial services saw a 5% increase in labor force participation from 2023 to 2024, compared with a 1% increase for residents in properties with no services. 

  • Targeted programs show especially large improvements among residents with higher baseline unemployment or instability risk.  

• Data from the Eviction Lab show approximately 7.3 eviction filings per 100 renters from May 2024 to April 2025 nationally; by comparison, there were just 1.2 moveouts attributed to eviction per 100 households across the SAHF portfolio with resident services over the same time period.  

AHF’s coverage notes that these reports provide substantial evidence confirming what resident service and affordable housing providers already know: integrated wraparound services help residents and their communities thrive.  

Read the Abt Global report here and the SAHF report here.  

Find coverage of the two reports by Affordable Housing Finance here. 

Check out Chapter 1 of NLIHC’s Advocates’ Guide 2026 to learn how providing resident services is an NLIHC policy priority.