Our housing research examines how housing affects employment, health, and other family outcomes and how housing-related policies impact poverty. We focus on important housing assistance policies nationwide, such as the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, the nation’s largest form of rental assistance, and energy and utility bill assistance programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). We examine the potential effects of proposed policies at the national and state level, such as Renter Tax Credits. We also have a particular focus on New York City, where our housing research examines the pressures of a high cost of living area and the impact of forced moves and evictions on families and neighborhoods.
Research
2026
- The role of government benefits in reducing housing cost burdens, 2009–20222, Housing Studies—Feb 2026
2024
- Effects of the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for childless young adults on material wellbeing, National Bureau of Economic Research working paper—June 2024
2023
- The Child Tax Credit and family well-being: An overview of reforms and impacts—Dec 2023
- Effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on household spending: Estimates based on U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey data, National Bureau of Economic Research working paper—June 2023
- Related earlier version: Effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on household spending: Estimates based on U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics working paper—Apr 2022
- The differential effects of monthly & lump-sum Child Tax Credit payments on food & housing hardship, American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings—May 2023
- Related earlier version: The initial effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on material hardship, National Bureau of Economic Research working paper—Sept 2021
2022
- The effects of the 2021 monthly Child Tax Credit on child and family well-being: Evidence from New York City, Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World—Dec 2022
2021
- The initial effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on material hardship, National Bureau of Economic Research working paper—Sept 2021
2019
- Can Medicaid expansion prevent housing evictions?, Health Affairs—Sept 2019
- State of the Union Millennial Dilemma: Poverty and the safety net, Pathways, The Poverty and Inequality Report—2019
2018
- A renter’s tax credit to curtail the affordable housing crisis, The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences—Feb 2018
2017
- Long-term trends in rural and urban poverty: New insights using a historical supplemental poverty measure, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science—June 2017
2016
- Incorporating geographical differences in the cost of living using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, Journal of Economic and Social Measurement—Jan 2016
2022
- Understanding the potential reach of the Affordable Connectivity Program—May 2022
- The role of government transfers in the Black-White child poverty gap—Mar 2022
2021
- The anti-poverty impacts of expanding Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers—July 2021
- State fact sheets: Policy options to address youth and young adult poverty—May 2021
2020
2019
- Progressive tax credit proposals and the potential effects on poverty in New York City—Mar 2019
- Progressive tax credit proposals for addressing U.S. poverty in the upcoming 2020 elections—Feb 2019
2018
- Effectiveness of antipoverty policies and state differences in cost of living—Dec 2018
- Raising rents for HUD housing program recipients would throw over half a million Americans into poverty—May 2018
2017
2026
2025
- Spotlight on: Housing affordability and the threat of cuts to federal housing assistance programs—July 2025
2024
- The prevalence and persistence of energy insecurity in NYC—July 2024
- Spotlight on young adults in New York City—June 2024
- Special series: Health and health care in New York City, second report—June 2024
2022
- The effects of the 2021 monthly Child Tax Credit on child and family well-being: Evidence from New York City, Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World—Dec 2022
- The effects of the 2021 monthly Child Tax Credit on child and family well-being: Evidence from New York City, Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World—Dec 2022
- Spotlight on housing policy: The looming eviction crisis is likely to exacerbate racial and economic inequity in NYC—Jan 2022
2019
The Poverty Tracker is a joint project with Robin Hood