Housing Insecurity and Homelessness: Evidence from the United Kingdom

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fetzer, Thiemo; Sen, Srinjoy; Souza, Pedro C. L.
• 署名单位: University of Warwick; University of London; Queen Mary University London
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1542-4766
• DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvac055
• 发表日期: 2023
• 页码: 526-559
• 关键词: rent control; neighborhood; instability; assistance; HEALTH

摘要

Homelessness and precarious living conditions are on the rise across much of the Western world. This paper exploits quasi-exogenous variation in the affordability of rents due to a cut in rent subsidies for low-income households in the United Kingdom in April 2011. Using comprehensive district-level administrative data, we show that the affordability shock caused a significant increase in financial distress, evictions, property crimes, insecure temporary housing arrangements, statutory homelessness, and actual rough sleeping. The most notable rise in statutory homelessness is driven by families with children, lone parents, individuals with existing health conditions, and as a result of having been evicted. We estimate that the fiscal savings were low and shifted toward the local administration: Savings by the central government were partially offset by an increase in council spending to meet statutory obligations for homelessness.