[evanpw]

The subsidy shouldn't depend on the apartment, but it should depend on the renters. So you can explicitly set an income limit to exclude the $500k/yr family, but even if you don't, they don't get a bigger subsidy just because they want a more expensive apartment.

[mseebach]

Housing shortages aren't substantially caused by people making >$500k, people making a lot of money just have an easier time dealing with a shortage.

All other things being equal, giving everybody a subsidy just bumps the rent by the same amount.

The biggest problem with the subsidy idea is deciding who gets it - and it can't be anywhere near everybody.