Megan Smith, IOC Seed Grant Recipient, Published in Housing Policy Debate; Receives BARI Research Funding
Congratulations to Megan Smith, a doctoral candidate in the Boston University School of Social Work (SSW), for her recent publication in Housing Policy Debate and for receiving a 2021–2022 Research Seed Grant from the Boston Area Research Initiative!
“Locked Out: The Systematic Exclusion of Poor Renters From Federally Subsidized Housing,” was funded by the Initiative on Cities (IOC) through a 2019 Early Stage Urban Research Award. The study explores various barriers that low-income potential tenants face when applying for affordable housing, which can help inform inclusive policy interventions. Smith and Co-PI Thomas Byrne, Associate Professor of Social Work, assessed the admissions policies of public housing authorities in Rhode Island. The researchers found that the plans included grounds for denial beyond federally mandated criteria, the plans lacked transparency and clarity, and the admissions criteria varied significantly.