Rent Inflation in St. Joseph County, Indiana, 1974-78 – Housing Assistance Supply Experiment

This historic note consists of an analysis of rent changes in St. Joseph County, Indiana, during the first three years of the Housing Assistance Supply Experiment, a demonstration during which low-income households were provided with monthly cash payments via housing assistance offices in order to offset their housing costs. The authors of the note concluded that gross rents in the county did increase by 23 percent during the test period, but that 70 percent of the observed increase was attributable to increases in fuel prices, and that ultimately, program participation accounted for only a small amount of inflation.