As Need Rises, Housing Aid Hits Lowest Level in Nearly 25 Years

As the safety net has expanded, various forms of assistance have increased, including food stamps, Medicaid, and the earned-income tax credit. However, housing assistance for the poorest tenants has become scarcer. Federal programs like public housing, Section 8, and Housing Choice Vouchers now serve 287,000 fewer households compared to their peak in 2004, a 6 percent decline. Meanwhile, the number of eligible households without aid has grown by about a quarter, totaling 15 million. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit has helped in building subsidized apartments, but most remain unaffordable to the neediest renters.