Young, Van Hollen Announce Creation of Housing Program at HUD

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officially announced the creation of the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration, a new federal program that has proven effective at the local level in breaking generational cycles of poverty. U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sponsored the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act, which authorized the program.

“All families deserve the chance to live in communities that best suit their needs, but many live in neighborhoods that perpetuate poverty across generations,” said Senator Young. “Our Housing Choice Voucher Mobility program aims to end this cycle and help families relocate to higher opportunity areas with lower crime, better education, and greater access to jobs, transportation, quality healthcare, and suitable housing.”

“For many families – and especially for young children – housing stability helps lay the groundwork for future success. I was proud to introduce this legislation to expand on Maryland’s model efforts in this area, and I’m glad to see our Housing Choice Voucher Mobility program come to fruition, providing $50 million so that more families will be able to move to more stable, affordable housing. I will continue working to expand affordable housing options — empowering families to move into homes in areas of greater job and educational opportunities helps break the cycle of poverty,” said Senator Van Hollen.

In February 2019, Young and Van Hollen’s Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act was signed into law to authorize a demonstration program to help families move to areas with greater mobility opportunity. Evidence shows that Housing Choice Vouchers as currently implemented fail to meet their mobility goals. As evidenced by economist Raj Chetty’s research, we know that where a child grows up has a significant impact on their life outcome in the long run.