Assisted Housing

Rent Burdens in Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Programs Gao ID: RCED-90-129 June 19, 1990

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the proportion of income that assisted households paid for rent and utilities at six public housing agencies.

GAO found that: (1) the average rent burden for approximately 4,500 public housing households with utility allowances was 30.5 percent of their adjusted income; (2) the average burden for about 5,000 section 8 certificate households with utility allowances was 36 percent of their adjusted income; (3) overall averages tended to mask differences in rent burdens; (4) the current method for administering utility allowances makes it likely that many households will have rent burdens other than 30 percent; (5) energy allowances derive from generalized energy consumption estimates for classes of buildings and dwelling unit size; (6) allowances are not tailored to individual unit or household energy consumption characteristics; and (7) other influences, such as inclement weather and differing tendencies to save energy, may cause the amount of utilities consumed to differ from the estimates.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.