In a 2023 report, researchers examined residents’ experiences with the Choice Mobility option, which allows residents of public housing undergoing a RAD conversion to request a tenant-based (rather than project-based) voucher in order to move to a private rental market unit. Researchers found that although overall use of the Choice Mobility option is low, the program succeeds in providing the opportunity for residents to move to neighborhoods and into units that better serve their needs.
To better understand the perspectives and experiences of residents, the study included a survey administered in 2022 of a representative sample of former RAD residents who chose to use the Choice Mobility option and a representative sample of RAD residents who were eligible to move using the Choice Mobility option but did not. Respondents completed 704 surveys in English and 16 surveys in Spanish, with an overall response rate of 49.6%. The study also used HUD administrative data and Census data to understand the demographic, neighborhood, and housing market characteristics of Choice Mobility use and resident outcomes.
Researchers found that both residents who move and residents who remain in their units are generally satisfied with both their housing and their neighborhood. Movers, however, were more satisfied than non-movers, with 70% of movers reporting that they were very or somewhat satisfied with their current neighborhood, compared to the 56% of non-movers.
Movers reported that the amenities in their new neighborhoods - such as parks, schools, transit, and grocery stores - were at least the same as (40%) or better than (47%) the amenities at the RAD-converted properties. By contrast, only 7% of movers reported that the amenities in their new neighborhood were worse than those in their former neighborhood. These results reinforce the finding that neighborhood characteristics were the most commonly cited factor influencing resident use of the Choice Mobility option. The appeal of a neighborhood that better fits a household's needs was strong enough to overcome some increased costs; movers reported higher rent and utility costs than did non-movers, because movers tended to relocate to neighborhoods with lower poverty rates than the neighborhoods where their RAD unit was located. About two-thirds of movers and non-movers rated their current unit's physical condition as excellent or good and 10% or less rated the condition as poor.
The study results also reveal that more residents could potentially benefit from improved communication from public housing authorities (PHAs) about the Choice Mobility option, especially in RAD project-based rental assistance (PBRA) properties, and from more housing mobility-related supports.
