Comparing the income poverty and the multidimensional housing poverty approaches in support of rural housing in Iran

Government in the rural housing support program has targeted low-income groups. In this program، determining targeted groupsbased on the income criteria faces challenge. Accordingly، thisstudycompares the incomepovertyapproach with the multidimensional housing povertyapproach in determining target groups in ruralhousing support program. In the incomeapproach the totalexpenditure to income ratio and in the multidimensional housing poverty approach the security، density، having andsewagesystemsdimensions were applied to 19707 Iranian rural householdsin 2010. The results indicate that housing poverty prevails on the vast majority of rural households and income poverty encompass (57. 041%) of them. The depth of rural housing poverty is suchthatrural households deprived from about two-fifths of housing indicators and their income poverty gap is 1. 844%. In continue، results show applying the income poverty approach to assess target groups in support program of rural housing exclude 42. 954% of rural households experiencing housing poverty. Accordingly، a change in approach to support rural housing through shifting toward the multi-dimensional housing poverty approach is recommended.