Eviction economy stands in the way of decent housing in the US

New York

THOSE of us who do not live in trailer parks or inner cities might think that low-income families in the US typically benefit from public housing or some other kind of government assistance. But the opposite is true. Three-quarters of families who qualify for housing assistance do not get it because there simply is not enough to go around. This arrangement would be unthinkable with other social services that cover basic needs. What if food stamps only covered one in four families?

America stands alone among wealthy democracies in the depth and expanse of its poverty. Ask most politicians what we should do about this, and they will answer by calling for more and better jobs. Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House, thinks we need to do more to "incentivise work". Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presiden…