Date of Conferral

5-19-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Gregory Campbell

Abstract

Families with children face challenges finding affordable housing. The research problem addressed through this quantitative group comparison design study was the need for alternative measures of determining housing affordability for families with children. Efforts to determine the best evaluation of housing affordability could help some families that may fall into the gap and lack a substantiated voice in the development of public policy. Researchers have demonstrated issues with housing affordability, such as the rising costs of housing and a shortage of affordable housing units but have not established the significance of using alternative measures to determine affordability and the implementation in public policy. The purpose of the study was to explore whether the residual income approach, a theory articulating that housing affordability is based on what a household can afford to spend after considering other necessary expenditures of living, would produce a different assessment than the 30% standard benchmark in regard to housing affordability in Delaware. The results of the study indicated a significant difference between the 30% of income benchmark and the residual income approach, showing significantly more affordability than if calculated just using the 30% benchmark. Not considering alternative measures of determining affordability for middle-income families with children can result in overstating the reality of housing affordability, therefore limiting the attention of effective public policy. Urban policy planners could use alternative measures of determining housing affordability to enact policy in their localities. The implication of positive social change includes the potential of improving the way middle-income households with children are considered in the development of public policy.

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