Public housing structures that are deemed “severely distressed” are being demolished and replaced with mixed-income developments. The current study examines the role that social service organizations play in the relocation of public housing residents. Service organizations tend to locate in areas anchored by public housing complexes where the need for their services is immense. Organizations that lose clients due to relocations run the risk of losing the funding they get for serving that population. GIS mapping and semi-structured interviews were used to answer questions about how redevelopment affects the communication infrastructures of public housing residents. GIS mapping was used to determine how services are spatially distributed in relation to public housing developments in Atlanta. Representatives from a sample of those organizations located near current and former public housing locations were interviewed to examine if a strategic communication plan is in place to retain connections with clients during the relocation process.

This Paper analyzes the factors influencing the labor force participation of low-income adults on public housing assistance. A quasi-experiment is designed to fulfill the purpose of measuring the magnitudes of certain attributes of given individuals, e.g. the age in influencing employment status while controlling other factors such as other personal attributes and living environments. A number of logistic regressions are performed to assist the empirical analysis. Two final models are presented while statistical results are diagnosed to ensure the reliability of findings. Based on the unique data provided by AHA (the Atlanta Housing Authority), over 70 variables are analyzed to determine their significance on influencing individuals¡¯ future employment status. Finally, we find five the most significant predictors to be the individual¡¯s current employment status, age, and income, whether one resides in a mixed-income community in comparison to living in a housing project, and whether one uses housing vouchers in comparison to living in a housing project. The individual¡¯s immediate living environment is found to play an extremely important role in shaping his/her future employment status. The results demonstrate that living in the mixed-income community as opposed to living in conventional public housing projects can boost one¡¯s odds of being employed in the future by 170% while using housing vouchers as opposed to living in traditional public housing can increase one¡¯s odds of being employed by 90%. Both statistics are significant even at the 0.001 level. Hence, our findings strongly support the view that environment matters and distressed public housing projects should be revitalized, which has been a controversial topic over years. This study introduces an innovative index system-that consists of the Family Development Index (FDI), the Neighborhood Development Index (NDI), and the Quality of Life Index (QLI)-developed by Dr. Boston to show the development of low-income adults¡¯ socio-economic status and living environments induced by the revitalization of public housing projects in Atlanta over the period of 1995-2001. Based on this innovative index system, this paper tentatively proposes a reasonable approach to separate the self-selective effect from the environmental effect in influencing the labor force participation, which has long been reckoned as a complex task in social science research. We create the Self-distinguishing Index (SDI) based on a similar mechanism by which Dr. Boston created the FDI and NDI and combine it with the FDI to generate the Self-selective Index (SSI). We also modify the NDI to serve our purpose of measuring the environmental changes at the personal level. By this method, we successfully detach the self-selective effect from the environmental effect in determining the individual¡¯s future employment status. Those two effects are found to be significant at the 0.001 level and the 0.01 level respectively. A side-finding that individuals belonging to the treatment group have significantly better odds of being employed in the future is shown as well.

This dissertation explores the impact of housing and recreation policy on Tampa's urban youth. Deconcentration policy suggests that public housing youth have improved life chances when relocated to mixed-income neighborhoods. In 2007, Tampa's Central Park Village (CPV) public housing complex was demolished and all families were relocated to new neighborhoods. Similarly, neoliberal policy advocates for the government's reduced role in poverty-alleviating mechanisms to include housing the poor and the funding of afterschool programs. To offset a smaller city budget due to state property tax rollbacks in the mid-2000's, Tampa Parks and Recreation instituted increased afterschool and youth sports participation fees. In the dissertation, I examine how these policy changes affect both former CPV youth and Tampa urban youth in general. In addition, this dissertation examines the role of mentors (coaches) in urban neighborhoods and coaches' perceptions of newly instituted recreation policy.

A majority of low-income individuals living in public housing today are working or receiving some kind of assistance, but still struggle to make ends meet. Previous studies show that cost and availability are barriers to healthy eating for low-income individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships among nutrition habits, health status, sources of income, and food and living resources for low-income residents in public housing. The study utilizes data collected over five years on the impact of the revitalization of the families. The sample was randomly selected from residents of the housing property in a Kentucky city. Results showed that low income is connected to limited access to healthy food options and individuals are more likely to be at risk for chronic health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension. When income and employment were low, families reported a greater rate of skipped meals, less consumption of daily meals, and more purchasing of high fat and sodium meals from convenience stores.

The major question which was dealt with in this thesis was exactly what the experience of the Muncie residents who are currently a part of the Muncie HOPE VI Program has been. I explored through a series of five in-depth interviews the feelings and true opinions of these residents. We discussed issues such as: what life was like for them in Munsyana, how they felt when they heard that they were being relocated, how life has been for them since they were relocated, and where and how they would have changed the process for the better.Many of the residents feel that relocation was a positive step in their lives. The residents continually stated that there were still things that were not quite where they should be with the program; however, they would not change their current living situations for anything. / Department of Urban Planning

This study analyzes the first year of a planned five-year implementation of Millennium Place, a HOPE VI-funded project located in Muncie, IN, focusing on those implementing it. To determine what was important in the work of those implementing it, a series of interviews were conducted with key personnel from the various agencies that collaborated in implementation. Although the participants were asked a variety of questions about their work, the interviews focused on what they found to be the biggest challenges in their work. The interviews were transcribed and methodically analyzed, and a series of reoccurring themes emerged, with the issue of control being the most prominent. Recommendations based on the findings were then developed, both for implementation as well as for possibilities for further study regarding the HOPE VI program as a whole. / Department of Urban Planning

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