Building Inclusivity: Examine the Drivers of Local Governments’ Inclusive Housing Policies for Immigrants

The growing immigrant population in the United States presents challenges for service systems, which must address diverse needs across age, language, and culture—often without sufficient cultural competency to do so effectively. These challenges are exacerbated by decentralized immigration policymaking. While federal policies focus on immigration status, local governments have the potential to respond to immigrants’ needs; however, not all cities are equipped to do so. This paper examines why some local governments provide immigrant-related services, particularly housing assistance, while others do not. Using the 2018 ICMA Local Government & Immigrant Communities Survey and a series of logistic regression models, this study identifies the factors that contribute to variation in local housing assistance programs. Results indicate that the foreign-born population and the presence of nonprofit organizations play a significant role in motivating local governments to offer housing assistance to immigrants. The findings also suggest that municipal governments’ adoption of housing assistance for immigrants is associated with political climate, whereas county governments’ decisions are more like due to their form of government.