Public Housing Residents' Neighbors and Neighborhood: Good, Neutral, or Troublesome/Unstable

ABSTRACT

Research on supportive services for public housing residents whose communities are redeveloped identifies common problems and the poor economic and social outcomes of relocated residents. In contrast, this community-based research project focuses on providing a description of public housing residents' experiences of where they receive social support, how they experience their neighborhood, and their relocation preferences. The purpose of this study is to identify existing measures that match resident language and identify resident relocation preferences that may improve resident outcomes. This study uses qualitative interviews with individual residents (n = 25) within one community facing immediate redevelopment. The interview themes indicate that whether they rely on geographically based social ties, whether they connect with the neighborhood as a place, and whether they perceive the neighborhood climate as supportive or problematic may have an impact on resident relocation preferences. Several existing measures correspond with study participant descriptions including scales focused on: community social climate, neighbor annoyance, social ties, and attachment to the neighborhood. Future research-informed practice could strategically include these concepts to improve the outcomes for residents of redeveloping neighborhoods, as they maintain supportive connections or relocate to a neighborhood that best meets their needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Community
• neighborhood
• qualitative
• social support
• trust

Funding

Prepared under Grant Number H-21608SG from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of University Partnerships. Points of views or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.