Economy
Baltimore's Housing Voucher Program Almost Gets It Right
Several distinguishing factors—including counseling and generous coverage—set the city's Housing Mobility Program apart.
In December, a hung jury resulted in a mistrial in the Freddie Gray case. The death of the 25-year-old Baltimore black man while in police custody, and the protests that followed, brought to light the long history of strained police-community relations in the city’s highly segregated, very poor neighborhoods.
Poor black kids growing up in Baltimore’s high-poverty neighborhoods are least likely to escape their circumstances compared to other U.S. cities, according to research by Harvard economist Raj Chetty. But low-income families continue to live in these areas because that’s where they find affordable housing.