Identifying and evaluating high-return policies and practices to address homelessness, housing affordability, and access to homeownership

Because housing costs are typically the largest expense in a family or individual’s basic needs budget, housing policy is an especially critical part of the country’s anti-poverty policy. When housing is unaffordable, individuals can be pushed into homelessness, with devastating consequences. At the same time, housing policy is also an important tool to increase access to high-amenity neighborhoods – which in turn facilitates opportunities for upward economic mobility – and to expand opportunities for wealth accumulation. CPI’s research addresses these issues by evaluating and designing innovative programs to address homelessness and housing affordability and to increase homeownership among low-income populations. See also related work in CPI’s Tax Policy Lab (for tax credits) and Economic Inclusion Lab (for baby bonds).