A Philly cash assistance program is proving successful at keeping low-income renters housed

Posted by WHYY on September 9, 2025

A new study shows an experimental assistance program in Philadelphia is “dramatically” improving the housing stability of low-income renters — an encouraging outcome researchers say could help bolster similar efforts across the country.

Launched as a pilot in the fall of 2022, PHLHousing+ provides families guaranteed monthly cash payments to help cover housing costs, an alternative to traditional housing vouchers from the federal government.

The money, loaded onto prepaid debit cards, ensures that participants pay no more than 30% of their income on housing. The payments, however, are “unconditional and unrestricted,” meaning they can be spent however a household sees fit.

After two years in the program, the data shows participants were far less likely to face eviction or experience homelessness than households that received no rent subsidy, in part because they were able to easily access the assistance.

“That’s a real tangible outcome … that really makes the case that this cash-transfer program is dramatically improving people’s housing outcomes,” said Vincent Reina, founder and faculty director of the Housing Initiative at Penn.

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