INTERSECTIONS OF HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION INSECURITY IN DELAWARE
Date
2025-05
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
To improve conditions for low-income residents, research with an integrated focus on the
combined impacts of housing and transportation on people's experiences is critical. Delaware's
population has been increasing faster than the national average, adding pressure on the housing
market. This has caused securing affordable and safe housing to be increasingly more difficult
for low-income residents. This research aims to connect information on housing and
transportation insecurity in Delaware to investigate the accumulation of the two disadvantages.
The findings are based on interviews with residents who use housing vouchers, state
representatives, and staff members of state agencies. The experiences of residents who use
housing vouchers reveal gaps in the current resources and systems in place that contribute to
housing and transportation instability for low-income families. Residential instability or the risk
of it and limited housing choices were consistently experienced by all the residents interviewed
both before and after receiving housing vouchers. Additionally, some participants emphasized
the significance of having a personal vehicle contributing to their overall well-being, despite the
related financial burdens. The conversations with DSHA, HAD, DART staff members, and state
representatives consistently reflected the concerns found within previous literature regarding the
lack of affordable housing, landlords choosing not to accept housing vouchers, concentrated
poverty in Wilmington, and the redevelopment of manufactured housing communities.
Additionally, these conversations also revealed novel information about increasing action within
these organizations. The findings, overall, emphasize the need for policy changes that address the
underlying issues of residential instability and limited housing choices for low-income
households. It is essential that future research continues to include the perspectives of low income residents in the development of policies and programs relating to housing and
transportation across the state.