The Needs of Elders in Public Housing: Policy Considerations in the Era of Mixed-Income Redevelopment

Abstract

A number of studies have followed the changes in the lives of public housing residents forced to relocate because of redevelopment. From 2002 to 2007, researchers followed the residents of a public housing development from the first year when residents learned of the pending demolition through 4 years of resettlement. Elder residents dispersed throughout the city provide insights into what life is like for low-income seniors leaving their homes and entering as strangers into new neighborhoods. The article concludes with recommendations for rethinking aging in place for poor elders.

Keywords:

• aging in place
• community
• low-income elders
• neighborhood
• public housing