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PD&R Quarterly Update: Housing and Family Formation

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Housing and Family Formation


On Thursday, September 18, 2025, HUD's Office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R) will host a hybrid PD&R Quarterly Update on housing and family formation. The panel will discuss the nexus between family formation and housing policy, including how means-tested social welfare programs create disincentives to marriage and family formation, with an emphasis on bringing HUD public and assisted housing programs into the conversation about the impacts of public policy on marriage.

Introductory Message: The Urgency of Addressing Families and Housing

  • John Gibbs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Keynote Address: Marriage, Penalized: How Means-Tested Programs—Including Federal Housing Policies—Penalize Marriage Among Lower-Income Families

  • Brad Wilcox, University Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project, University of Virginia

Panel Discussion: Costs, Benefits, and Behavior Incentives: How Public Policy Shapes Family Formation

  • Alison Bell, Acting Director, Office of Housing Voucher Programs, Public and Indian Housing
  • Patrick T. Brown, Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
  • Eric Cochling, Chief Program Officer, Georgia Center for Opportunity
  • Tim Johnson, Senior Pastor, Orlando World Outreach Church
  • Moderator: Brad Wilcox, University Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project, University of Virginia



Registration is closed.


Additional Information


Thursday, September 18, 2025
2:00-4:00 pm ET
Hybrid Event
HUD Headquarters
451 7th Street SW
Washington, DC 20410