Flowers (2016): Article Review
Article Review
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Article Review
While the government has rolled out a housing assistance program, it only benefits a few low-income families. As highlighted by Flowers (2016), two-thirds of American families within the low-income bracket do not have access to housing vouchers and other government housing aids. This situation is mainly caused by the long waiting list in the processing of housing vouchers. For instance, the median waiting time for a housing voucher among low-income families is approximately eighteen months (Flowers, 2016). Also, limited funding is another significant challenge derailing the housing-assistance program for low-income families in America. Even though the government allocates funds for affordable housing projects, a considerable portion of these funds benefit homeowners than families in rentals.
Based on the article, the plight of low-income families is significantly premised on two quantitative variables, rent and wages. As highlighted by Flowers (2016), the income for most low-income workers has remained stagnant while rent is dramatically rising. As a result, most American families experience difficulties offsetting their housing mortgage. Therefore, the relationship between rent and wages is central to answering the article’s overarching question.
Moreover, the findings of this article are primarily based on observational studies. For instance, the author uses data from the American housing survey to corroborate his arguments. Inherently, surveys fall under observation studies since a researcher has little influence on the obtained data.
Despite the article’s informed content, it exhibits limitations in its evidence. For instance, the author is more reliant on American housing surveys published in 2013. Given the broadness of the topic, this skewed timeline may undermine the article’s authenticity.
Lastly, why is the government prioritizing housing assistance for homeowners than families in rentals? At the outset, most homeowners can deduct their mortgage interests from taxes (Flowers, 2016). Therefore, income and deductible mortgage-interests are vital to uncovering why the housing assistance programs favor homeowners over families in rentals.
Reference
Flowers, A. (2016, September 16). Why So Many Poor Americans Don’t Get Help Paying For Housing.Filebin. https://filebin.net/5wf3lmjcsnamgg77/Why_So_Many_Poor_Americans_Don_t_Get_Help_Paying_For_Housing___FiveThirtyEight.pdf?t=g2d4sazr