On May 25, 2021, United States Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced bipartisan legislation to increase funding for the housing choice voucher (HCV) program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and local public housing authorities.  The Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2021 draws on landlord research conducted by PIRL researchers and aims to increase funding for the HCV program in order to increase the number of landlords who accept vouchers from potential renters.  PIRL Director Stefanie DeLuca was quoted in a one-pager published by the Office of Senator Coons on the legislation.  She said:

“The Housing Choice Voucher program—which houses more than two million American families—has been losing landlords each year in droves. Our research in four cities shows that the voucher program has been losing these landlords for avoidable reasons: burdensome and time-consuming inspections, no one to talk to at the PHA when problems arise, and concerns about responsibility for repairs. The Choice in Affordable House Act makes important and much needed strides towards addressing these very issues and will, our research further shows, lead to greater landlord participation in vouchers in high-opportunity areas. That, in turn, means this Act will help many children to finally get a chance to live where they will have far better economic prospects, helping our nation’s much needed recovery over the long term."

View the full legislative text here.