Ohio State University, John Glenn School of Public Affairs

Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs aims to improve public policymaking and management through research and analysis and trains leaders for careers in public service. This grant expands upon a prior MacArthur Foundation-funded study regarding the link between reverse mortgages and longer-term financial well-being and housing stability for senior homeowners. Researchers will use this grant to conduct a random controlled trial of a simple, replicable post-origination monitoring intervention that could better equip the field to improve housing and financial stability outcomes for seniors who take on a reverse mortgage.

As part of the Foundation’s How Housing Matters to Families and Communities initiative, researchers at Ohio State University will: explore the decision-making processes of seniors considering a reverse mortgage; evaluate how the decision to purchase a reverse mortgage affects financial, housing and physical independence outcomes and longer-term well-being; and evaluate the mandatory Department of Housing and Urban Development-certified housing counseling programs that are intended to help lower-income seniors make sound decisions. This first-ever empirical evaluation of reverse mortgages will substantiate or refute the claim that they lead to greater health, independence and financial stability.