https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/8/4/20726427/raj-chetty-segregation-moving-opportunity-seattle-experiment
Apart from money and information, the sheer cost and energy of navigating the bureaucracy around housing assistance can be overwhelming; it's nice to see steps being taken to help with that.
In Seattle, the researchers put a twist on the housing voucher system. For this experiment, a random subset of people receiving vouchers for the first time would get more than just the rental subsidy. They would also be given information on which neighborhoods promise the most opportunity for their kids, based on the research data. They’d also be assigned “navigators” whose job it was to walk them through the apartment application process, and receive additional financial assistance with down payments if necessary.
It’s a simple intervention — and, more than a year in, it looks like it yielded big results.
Apart from money and information, the sheer cost and energy of navigating the bureaucracy around housing assistance can be overwhelming; it's nice to see steps being taken to help with that.