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DIS9321B

Dr. Kris Iyer

Doctoral Dissertation Research I

Activity 710: Dissertation Update- Draft #2 of Concept Paper

Faculty Use Only

A Note: I have an important concern about the dissertation -- I am still thinking about it. My concern is that if the dissertation is driven by the need to have a greater understanding of the barriers -- that suggests that we do not currently have an adequate understanding. I have a feeling that implicit assumption might be questioned. For the present, lets hold that thought.

Please clean up the document -- also look at the comment on the literature review, which requires some more work.

Perceived Barriers to Housing for Low-Income Families

Concept Paper

Submitted to Northcentral University

Graduate Faculty of the School of Business and Technology Management

Prescott Valley, Arizona

Table of Contents

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Purpose of the Study

Research Questions

Hypotheses

Definition of Key Terms

Brief Review of the Literature

Summary

Research Method

Operational Definition of Variables

Measurement

Summary

References

Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography

Introduction

Housing policy in the United States is regulated through federal and local statutes, which are intended to prevent discrimination, ensure the safety of tenants, and make housing available to low-income individuals and families (Schwemm, 2008). The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, sex, gender, religion, marital status, disability, or national origin. Moreover, to provide low-income individuals with affordable housing, Congress has created the Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8 housing) which operates under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Individuals who meet certain income requirements are entitled to the use of housing vouchers, which they can apply towards their rent (Schwemm, 2008).

The problem of discrimination against specific groups of renters came to the attention of states and localities in the 1960s and 1970s. To address this problem several states have created local statutes which prohibit discrimination based on a variety of criteria (Pendall, 2006). Local municipalities recognized that families with children and minorities were most frequently discriminated against. Many local jurisdictions added protections for these groups a decade before the need for legislative action was recognized by Congress (Daniel, 2010). Families along with people with disabilities were added to the Fair Housing Act until 1988 (Daniel, 2010).

Franko (2009) reported that federal and local efforts have focused on eliminating the affordable housing access problem, but many continue to face discrimination and other barriers. Many low-income individuals and families still do not have access to affordable housing (Franko, 2009). Low-income families are in a position to provide information regarding perceived barriers experienced in the attempt to obtain affordable housing. A research topic of interest and need is the determination of barriers to affordable housing as perceived by the families denied this housing.

Statement of the Problem

Despite efforts from both the Federal government and multiple state and local governments to eliminate discrimination in housing, low income families are not able to secure affordable housing as a result of discrimination (Cunningham, Scott, Narducci, Hall, Stanczyk, O'Neil, & Galvez; 2010; Daniel, 2010). Only 13 states, the District of Columbia, and around 24 local jurisdictions have adopted antidiscrimination laws designed to protect voucher holders, and this results in most families remaining vulnerable to discrimination (Cunningham et al., 2010; Daniel, 2010). Consequently, many low-income families are unable to secure affordable housing as a result of discrimination (Daniel, 2010).

While discrimination against protected groups is illegal, landlords have created a number of barriers that unfairly deny low-income families and minorities adequate housing (Daniel, 2010)....

Low-income households are discriminated against, despite the fact that the Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits such discrimination and the Housing Choice Voucher Program was designed to make housing accessible to low-income families (Schwemm, 2008). Although all low-income families may encounter discrimination in securing housing, ethnic minorities are especially vulnerable because they constitute a disproportionately high percentage of all low-income households in the United States (Schwemm, 2008). These practices endure despite being prohibited by the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Schwemm, 2008).
Currently, a number of barriers limit access to low income housing. As noted above, one of the most significant barriers is individual discrimination against low-income families, many of which are minorities, by property owners (Daniel, 2010). Another barrier to accessible housing for many families is that tendency of builders to construct building units that are "family friendly," with sufficient space (Cornell University, 2012) in order to "provide a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family" with children ("Housing Act of 1949," 1949 § 2, 42 U.S.C. § 1441; Cornell University, 2012). Other barriers to accessible housing for families include the practice of some landlords of prohibiting children or refusing to accept voucher payments (Daniel, 2010). In addition, Pendell (2006) reports that local land-use regulations often reduce both the quantity and affordability of rental housing, which creates yet additional barriers for low-income families to have access to an affordable and adequate housing.

Despite some legislative and administrative efforts to overcome these barriers in recent years, many low-income families are still unable to obtain affordable housing, an issue that represents the focus of this study. In order to formulate timely and effective responses to these barriers, it is vital to develop a thorough understanding of these barriers and how they operate at the individual level, an issue that directly relates to the study's purpose discussed below.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to better understand the barriers that are involved in low-income families' failing to obtain affordable housing. Specifically, the study's purpose is to determine if barriers of no-children regulations, no-voucher acceptance, lack of available large units, and perceived discrimination against low-income families serve to predict affordable housing access. A mixed methods study will be conducted that includes a quantitative survey and qualitative one-on-one interviews. The survey will gather quantitative data and the interviews will gather qualitative data. The quantitative survey will gather information regarding the aforementioned study variables. These variables include: barriers of no children regulations, no voucher acceptance, lack of available large units, and perceived discrimination against low-income families (independent variables); and affordable housing access (dependent variable). This mixed approach will allow for the gathering of narrative, detailed information about the experience of this population as well as the testing of hypotheses with quantitative data. The study will be advertised in local Maryland newspapers and at government offices that provide services to the population, to gather a sample of low-income family participants.

The specific population of the proposed study is low-income families. The number of participants that will serve as the sample for the quantitative analysis is estimated based on a power analysis to be 84. A power analysis was conducted to determine the sample size needed to accurately reject a null hypothesis for a regression analysis with a power level of .80. With the alpha level set at .05 and the beta level set at .80, a power analysis was calculated. Findings recommended by Cohen's (1977) are that with four independent variables, for a medium effect, a sample of about 84 is needed to yield a power of around 0.8 in testing hypotheses. Thus, it was determined that a sample size of 84 participants would be sufficient to test each of the hypotheses with a power of .80. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis will be used to describe the sample and test the hypotheses. Following regression analysis of the variables of interest, a qualitative content analysis will be conducted to probe further into the lived experiences of low-income families that have experienced barriers to affordable housing (West, 2002).

Research Questions

The research questions should directly relate to the study's purpose which is to gather information about barriers to access to affordable housing for low-income families. Each research question and hypothesis reflects a specific barrier to this type of housing. The last research question gathers qualitative information to provide pertinent details that emerge from the qualitative content analysis.

Q1. To what degree do barriers of no0children regulations predict affordable housing access?

Q2. To what degree do barriers of no-voucher acceptance predict affordable housing access?

Q3. To what degree do barriers of lack of available large units predict affordable housing access?

Q4. To what degree do barriers of discrimination due to being an ethnic minority, perceived…