Are HOPE VI Families at Greater Risk for Homelessness?

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Abstract

A main criticism of the HOPE VI program is that intentionally relocating residents—even temporarily—increases the likelihood that some residents will end up homeless. Housing authorities have been accused of "losing" residents and not providing them with the relocation assistance to which they were entitled; critics in some cities have claimed increases in shelter populations. However, most of the evidence has been anecdotal, and while there has been much rhetoric on both sides, there has been no hard evidence to support or disprove critics' claims that HOPE VI increases homelessness.

Introduction

A main criticism of the HOPE VI program is that intentionally relocating residents—even temporarily—increases the likelihood that some residents will end up homeless. Some critics have cited the low numbers of residents returning to revitalized HOPE VI sites as an indication that the revitalization process has harmed original residents (National Housing Law Project 2002). Housing authorities have been accused of "losing" residents and not providing them with the relocation assistance to which they were entitled. Other critics, particularly in Chicago, where the nation's largest public housing transformation effort is under way, have claimed HOPE VI initiatives that forced out residents have increased shelter populations (Bennett, Smith, and Wright 2006). And, particularly early in the program, there was evidence of serious problems at some sites. For example, some housing authorities proceeded with relocation so quickly that they flooded the market with voucher holders, thus making it difficult for residents to find landlords to accept their housing assistance (Buron et al. 2002). However, most of this evidence is anecdotal, and while there has been much rhetoric on both sides, there has been no hard evidence to support or disprove critics' claims that HOPE VI increases homelessness.

This brief uses data from the HOPE VI Panel Study (see text box on page 7), which has been tracking a sample of 887 residents from five HOPE VI sites since 2001, to address whether HOPE VI initiatives increase the chances that original residents will be at greater risk of homelessness. We use three different strategies to examine how many residents have become homeless or faced serious housing hardship since HOPE VI revitalization began. First, we use survey data to identify residents who report experiencing homelessness or were doubled up with other households (and considered "precariously housed"). Second, we look at the available data on nonrespondents in our sample—that is, those we were unable to interview—to see if we can determine their housing status. Finally, we look at the housing status of survey respondents who reported no longer receiving housing assistance.

(End of excerpt. The complete brief is available in PDF format.)

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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