Stump the Law Librarian

Q: I'm looking for information on how subsidized housing units adversely affects the value of a neighborhood's property. Do you know where I should look?

A: Here are a few ideas for resources to begin your search, from Connie VonDerHeide, librarian at the State Law Library:
Dane County Housing Authority (DCHA)

Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA)

"Field Guide to Effects of Low Income Housing on Surrounding Property Values" (last updated May 2003) This is a list of links to a variety of studies and reports

"Low Income Housing Tax Credit Housing Developments and Property Values" (dated 2002)NOTE: This Wisconsin study was done on Section 42 developments, not Section 8 housing, but some parts of the report might possibly correlate.

"Does Affordable Housing Detrimentally Affect Property Values? A Review of the Literature" byMai Thi Nguyen, San Francisco State University. Published in the Journal of Planning Literature, Vol. 20, No. 1, 15-26 (2005). NOTE: This article is not available in full text for free on the web. Try submitting an Interlibrary Loan request at your local public library.

National Affordable Housing Trends/Issues/Future"
The above PowerPoint presentation frequently cites the study "Siting Affordable Housing: Location and Neighborhood Treands of Low Income Housing Tax Credit Developments in the 1990s" published in March 2004 as part of its Census 2000 Survey Series. See http://www.brookings.edu/urban/pubs/20040405_Freeman.pdf for more info.