Publication Date

Fall 1996

Degree Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Urban Planning (MUP)

Department

Urban and Regional Planning

Abstract

Ultimately this report will try to draw conclusions regarding the effects of the Fair Market Rent {FMR) level on the settlement pattern of Section 8 Households in Santa Clara County by examining that settlement pattern. Settlement pattern refers to the counts of Section 8 Households by census tract within the County. FMR refers to the maximum gross rent (rent plus utilities) for which a home of a given bedroom size can be rented by a tenant household assisted with a certificate in the Section 8 Housing Allowance Program of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 as amended in 1974. The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara (HACSC) administers this Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The thesis of this report is that although increasing FMR levels can increase the chances of an assisted household leasing a unit in a shorter time, FMR levels in and of themselves do not greatly influence the dispersion of households because there are influences on mobility (e.g., lack of information about housing choices and discrimination against families with children), which may outweigh the effect of FMR level.

The report provides an overview of U.S. Housing Policy as it evolved to the Section 8 Housing Allowance Program, and of efforts to disperse assisted households through a housing market to avoid their concentration in low income neighborhoods. The related concept of "geography of opportunity" will be discussed. A Case Study with data from the Section 8 Program in action in Santa Clara County will be presented.

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