Does reducing stigma increase the take-up of rental assistance?

Renters that received an informational postcard were 52% more likely to request an application for rental assistance and 24% more likely to submit an application than renters that did not receive a postcard.
N/A
Since 2020
In Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Renters that received an informational postcard were 52% more likely to request an application for rental assistance and 24% more likely to submit an application than renters that did not receive a postcard. The de-stigmatizing postcard increased application requests by an additional 18% and application submissions by an additional 11% compared to the information-only postcard, although these differences were not significant. We also find some evidence that the de-stigmatizing postcard was more effective at motivating applications from Black/African-American renters.

Parent organization:

The People Lab

Does reducing stigma increase the take-up of rental assistance?
Org. type: Academic / research organization
Project type: Project
Tags: housing
Last modified: Nov 12, 2025 Added: Mar 18, 2025
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