Low Income Tax Housing Credit Reform
The LIHTC Program is an indirect Federal subsidy and the largest federal program to finance the development of affordable rental housing for low-income households. Unfortunately, these housing units are generally located in economically depressed and racially segregated neighborhoods. Various studies have documented this pattern of spatial distribution of LIHTC development. The geographic concentration and the lack of access to suburban development and related job opportunities create barriers to low-income families as they attempt to improve their financial well-being. Working in collaboration with the Poverty Race Research Action Council and the Lawyers Committee, the Institute has assisted in analyzing the impact of recent LIHTC developments on racial and economic segregation. The Institute and its partners utilize this analysis to educate local stakeholders and state housing finance agencies and to promote more development in areas of high opportunity, rather than in racially and economically segregated areas of low opportunity. For example, the Kirwan Institute provided technical assistance and data analysis to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) to assist in modifying their LIHTC scoring criteria to be more inclusive of "opportunity based housing" principles. Other LIHTC education and advocacy projects have been implemented in Maryland, North Carolina and Illinois.
For more information, please visit PRRAC’s LIHTC website.
Related presentations and materials:
- Mapping LIHTC, Race and Poverty in Maryland: Maps
- The Geography of LIHTC Developments in North Carolina
Presented by Jason Reece at Strategic Planning Session. Raleigh, NC. - LIHTC, Race and Poverty in Illinois (Coming Soon)
- LIHTC and Access to High Quality Education (Coming Soon)
