Innovation in US public housing: a critique of the moving to work demonstration

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Moving to Work demonstration programme (MTW) allows 39 public housing authorities (PHAs) to waive certain federal regulations and merge several funding streams into a single, flexible fund. These flexibilities are designed to allow PHAs the ability to meet local housing needs and the programme's three goals: moving families to self-sufficiency, expanding housing options, and achieving cost savings. This review introduces the policy context of the MTW demonstration, situating it within an environment of neoliberal reforms in public housing and social service provision. It goes on to assess certain activities implemented to achieve the demonstration's three statutory goals. The paper concludes with a policy critique that both draws upon findings from evaluations of the programme conducted to date and sets an agenda for ongoing debates about extending MTW agreements past their 2018 expiration and expanding the demonstration to include more agencies.