One of the most important policy debates concerning the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) surrounds whether and how the program furthers opportunity and mobility. To date, the research on this question has focused on siting and the attributes of the neighborhoods where LIHTC developments are constructed. To expand upon the existing knowledgebase, and using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative analysis, this project will answer:
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For projects constructed in resource-rich communities, which households obtain access to the developments, and which practices appear to promote increased racial and economic equity in that access?
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For projects constructed in high-poverty neighborhoods, to what extent are they part of concerted community revitalization plans, and are these plans considered in assessing the LIHTC application?
The answers to these questions are critical to more effective policymaking: while many fair housing advocates push for more LIHTC developments to be constructed in resource-rich neighborhoods, such developments will have a more limited impact in furthering opportunity and economic mobility if they disproportionately serve older adults, white residents, and households at the top of the eligible income range. This work aims to inform practices and policies to improve racial and economic equity in the use of LIHTC, including both mobility and revitalization strategies.