The Lab’s direct rental assistance work

The Housing Solutions Lab is collaborating with other researchers to build the evidence base for direct rental assistance (DRA) and is working closely with housing authorities across the country to design, launch, and evaluate programs and pilots.

Research convening

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) put forth a call for partners to determine  whether “providing rental assistance directly to the eligible household…could streamline the assistance process and enable more low-income renters to benefit from the [HCV] program.” In November of 2023, at HUD’s request, the Lab partnered with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to convene more than 60 researchers, funders, and housing authority representatives to discuss current  research and design considerations for DRA. 

The convening featured panelists from the Bay Area Thriving Families Study, PHLHousing+, the Denver Basic Income Project, and DC Flex. Paul Joice of HUD and Lab Faculty Directors Katherine O’Regan and Ingrid Gould Ellen also presented their analysis, now published in Cityscape, of how early experimental versions of the voucher program could inform DRA design. The convening affirmed the need for thoughtfully designed pilots. 

Direct rental assistance cohort and pilots

In September 2024, with support from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the Lab launched a six-month peer learning cohort of five housing authorities across the country interested in exploring DRA pilots. 

Building on the foundational work of the cohort, the Lab has partnered with the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, MD, to help design and evaluate HOC Bridge. HOC Bridge is a small-scale, innovative program that launched in spring 2026 and offers direct cash payments to current voucher households to help them gain greater autonomy and financial independence. The Lab is also working closely with the Reno Housing Authority to design a randomized control trial that directly compares DRA to traditional vouchers, which is expected to launch in 2027.

Direct rental assistance Community of Practice

The Lab and the Housing Initiative at Penn are co-facilitating an ongoing Community of Practice for housing authorities actively exploring or already piloting DRA. The Community of Practice meets roughly bimonthly to share updates, exchange practical lessons, and discuss ways to measure outcomes.

If you are interested in learning more about the Community of Practice or the Lab’s DRA work, please contact Claudia Aiken, Director of New Research Partnerships, at claudia.aiken@nyu.edu.