SUB provided permanent assistance with housing rental costs through state or local public housing agencies. As long as families had at least one child age 15 or younger, met low-income criteria, had no drug-related convictions, and paid rent on time, they could continue to receive a housing subsidy indefinitely. Housing subsidies were typically provided as a housing choice voucher, which participants could use to rent housing that met the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Quality Standards, and that had a rent that was deemed reasonable based on rental costs for comparable homes in a given housing market. The local public housing agency set housing choice voucher amounts, and if rental costs exceeded this limit, families were required to pay up to 30 percent of their unadjusted monthly income toward rental costs. The primary population for the subsides was families who spent at least seven days in an emergency homeless shelter and had at least one child age 15 or younger. The study took place in 12 locations in the United States: Alameda County, CA; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Connecticut; Denver, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY; Minneapolis, MN; Phoenix, AZ; and Salt Lake City, UT. This evaluation also examined SUB compared with Community-Based Rapid Rehousing and Project-Based Transitional Housing.
Summary
Permanent Housing Subsidy (SUB) aimed to provide housing stability for families as a means to improving their economic outcomes.
Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain
View table definitionsScroll to the right to view the rest of the table columns
| Outcome domain | Term | Effectiveness rating | Effect in 2024 dollars and percentages | Effect in standard deviations | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase earnings | Short-term |  |
|||
| Long-term | 
|
$401 per year
|
0.011 | 1096 | |
| Very long-term | |
||||
| Increase employment | Short-term | |
|||
| Long-term |
|
-3% (in percentage points)
|
-0.085 | 1096 | |
| Very long-term | |
||||
| Decrease benefit receipt | Short-term | |
|||
| Long-term | |
||||
| Very long-term | |
||||
| Increase education and training | All measurement periods | |
Studies of this program
| Study quality rating | Study counts per rating |
|---|---|
 High
|
1 |
Program cost
No cost information available.
Cost results
| Estimate (in 2024 dollars) | Quality of cost analysis that produced the estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly program cost, per participant * | $1,557 |
Good quality
|
* See below for further details on the cost analysis.
Cost information
How much did the program cost per participant?
The average monthly program cost per participant was $1,557 in 2024 dollars. This figure is based on cost information for this program reported in one cost study reviewed by Pathways to Work (for details, see the FAQ). The study reported an average cost per participant of $1,557 per month of use and reported a mean of 31 months of use over the study period. This implied an average total program cost per participant of $48,267 in 2024 dollars over the 37-month study period. This study received a rating of Good quality for the cost analysis.
Cost information is not directly comparable across programs due to differences in the categories of costs reported and program length. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.
Implementation details
State(s) where implemented
Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.