Evaluating Rental Assistance Programs and Parent-Child Dynamics: To What Extent Does Rental Assistance Impact Parent-Child Relationships?

Housing cost burden is defined as spending over 30% of household income on rent. In the United States, only one in four eligible households receives rental assistance. To address this gap, PHLHousing+ is a direct rental assistance pilot program in Philadelphia that was launched in 2022 and provides unconditional cash payments to 300 families through June 2026. This poster aims to evaluate the extent to which rental assistance, in the form of cash and vouchers, impacts child-related expenses, activities, and parenting styles. Using biannual survey data, three outcomes were analyzed: (1) whether parents cut back on child-related expenses (education, food, clothing), (2) the average response of parent engagement in fifteen child activities, and (3) parenting style using two dimensions of the Parenting Behaviors and Dimensions Questionnaire (PBDQ): emotional warmth and punitive discipline. Responses at two years were regressed on baseline (or 6-month) values to compare the treatment groups (cash and voucher) to a control group over time while controlling for baseline differences. No statistically significant differences were observed across the groups for activities and parenting styles. However, a statistically significant reduction in cutting back on child-related expenses was observed for the voucher group (p=0.031), while the cash group did not. These findings suggest that rental assistance, particularly in the form of vouchers, may help reduce financial strain on families, allowing them to spend more on their children. However, improving parent engagement in child activities and parenting styles may require additional support beyond financial assistance. These results align with findings from the Baby’s First Years study, which also found limited effects of cash transfers on parent–child relationships.