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CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OVERVIEW
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
METHODOLOGY
Limitations of This Research
CHA PLAN FOR TRANSFORMATION
Relocation Rights Contract
CONTINUING CHALLENGES
RELOCATION SERVICES SINCE 1999
Other Counseling Programs
RESIDENT EXPERIENCES
Relocation Outcomes
Movers' Experiences
Nonmovers' Experiences
LESSONS FOR ONGOING RELOCATION EFFORTS
REFERENCES
APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY AND STUDY TIMELINE
APPENDIX B: WAVE 3 CHA RESEARCH QUESTIONS
APPENDIX C: DATA EXHIBITS 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP: CHA RESPONDENTS
APPENDIX D: DATA EXHIBITS 12-MONTH FOLLOW UP: CHA MOVERS AND NONMOVERS
APPENDIX E: DATA EXHIBITS BASELINE, 6-MONTH, AND 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS: CHA RESPONDENTS
APPENDIX F: DATA EXHIBITS BASELINE, 6-MONTH, AND 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS: CHA RESPONDENTS-NONMOVERS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Public housing in Chicago, as in many cities across the nation, is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation. In 1998, nearly 19,000 of the Chicago Housing Authority's (CHA's) units failed viability inspection, meaning that under federal law the CHA was required to demolish the units within five years.1 As a result, the city put forth a plan to "transform" the CHA's enormous high-rise developments into smaller mixed-income communities of town homes and low-rise buildings. The CHA Plan for Transformation calls for the demolition of 51 gallery high-rise buildings, as well as several thousand mid-rise and low-rise units.2 The CHA will redevelop or rehabilitate 25,000 units of public housing; however, the plan calls for a substantial reduction in family public housing units (a net loss of 14,000 units). The original plan called for the relocation of as many as 6,000 families3 with Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8 vouchers).4 This plan, including relocation and revitalization, is estimated to cost $1.5 billion over 10 years.
In 1999, the CHA began implementing housing search programs to help relocatees find housing in a broader range of neighborhoods. These programs also provided a range of training programs (e.g., workshops on tenant rights and responsibilities, budgeting, and housekeeping) and supportive services (generally, case management) intended to help relocatees become successful private-market tenants. The overarching goals of CHA's relocation services were to help participants make good housing choices for themselves and their families; help participants make a successful transition to the private market; and prevent the creation of clusters of relocatees in other high-poverty neighborhoods.
During the first year of relocation, the CHA's counseling services were targeted to residents of buildings slated for closing and demolition who indicated that Section 8 was their first choice for replacement housing. Since then, the CHA's services have evolved significantly. In addition to relocation counseling for residents who receive vouchers, the agency now offers all tenants housing choice clinics and information sessions intended to help explain relocation options; Good Neighbor counseling; and a Service Connector program to provide case management and linkages to community services. Residents can also participate in the new Gautreaux II Mobility program, which provides mobility counseling and assistance in moving to "opportunity areas," communities with poverty rates below 23.49 percent.
Since the relocation rights contract was signed in November 2001, the CHA has made a number of changes to its relocation process. The agency created a relocation department and developed relocation planning meetings and housing choice clinics to help ensure that residents were making informed choices about replacement housing. Staff report that the CHA has made ongoing efforts to simplify the materials it provides to residents and try new approaches to providing information, including a new cable show and audiovisual materials. The agency has also worked to develop a tracking system to follow residents through the relocation process.5 Finally, the CHA has made a number of changes to its counseling services.
CONTINUING CHALLENGES
In light of the size and scope of the CHA Plan for Transformation, a number of observers have raised concerns about the risks involved in this massive undertaking, particularly for current CHA tenants and receiving neighborhoods. From our reviews of available data and reports, interviews with key actors, and the information we have collected about the residents in our sample, we have identified the following critical issues about the transformation process to date:
- Adequacy of resources;
- Pace of relocation;
- Pace of redevelopment;
- Ensuring residents make informed choices;
- Clustering and availability of voucher units;
- Inadequate resident representation;
- Residents' ability to transition to the private market and effect on illegal tenants;
- Lack of accurate information regarding residents' status; and
- Coordinating multiple agencies.
This report provides a systematic look at what happened to a sample of residents as they moved through the relocation process from 1999 to 2001, and provides feedback for the CHA's ongoing efforts to refine its relocation process. The challenges encountered during the early phases of implementation remain threats to the long-term success of the Plan for Transformation, particularly the challenge of providing effective services to so many residents with complex needs.
METHODOLOGY
Our study uses a variety of methods, including a collection of both qualitative and quantitative data. Specifically, we combined information from three major sources:
- A three-wave panel survey of a sample of approximately 190 CHA residents awaiting relocation with Section 8.
- In-depth interviews with 30 CHA relocatees focusing on their experiences with the counseling programs.
- A process study of the counseling and relocation services provided by the CHA's contract counseling agencies.
This study provides the first systematic evidence of what happened to CHA residents who initially chose Section 8 for replacement housing. However, because the study was intended to provide rapid feedback for an ongoing process, we were, by design, studying a moving target. Because our survey began after the initial wave of relocation was under way, our sample likely represents those residents who face the greatest challenges in transitioning out of public housing.
RESIDENT EXPERIENCES
Our data document outcomes for our sample of 190 CHA residents as they moved through the relocation system, including personal and institutional barriers they have faced during relocation. Specifically, our analysis finds the following:
- Less than half of the CHA residents in our sample had relocated; most were still living in public housing. A total of 55 respondents (40 percent of our sample) moved by the 12-month follow-up.
- Movers are living in lower-poverty neighborhoods than their original public housing developments, but these neighborhoods are still segregated and high-poverty. The average reduction in neighborhood poverty level for these households is 42 percentage points. However, more than 55 percent are still living in communities with poverty rates greater than 40 percent.
- Movers perceive substantial improvements in their housing and neighborhood conditions. Just 12 percent of movers report having at least one "big problem" with their housing compared with 53 percent of nonmovers. Movers also report significant decreases in exposure to violence and improvement in outlook.
- Residents face personal and institutional barriers that make it challenging for them to relocate. Many residents have physical health problems, and overall our respondents had relatively low levels of personal efficacy and very low expectations about their ability to improve their circumstances.
LESSONS FOR ONGOING RELOCATION EFFORTS
Although this report describes the experiences of a relatively small sample of CHA residents, it offers important lessons for CHA's ongoing efforts to improve and expand its relocation services. While the majority of residents who were referred for relocation services in September 1999 have left public housing, both our survey data and counseling agency records from the spring of 2001 show that a substantial number have not yet moved. Because our baseline survey occurred in April 2000, the sample for this study likely consisted of the same group that the counseling agencies have identified as more difficult to serve.6 Our results indicate that finding solutions for these families will not be simple.
As noted earlier, the CHA's counseling programs and services are still a work in progress. The CHA has made a number of substantial changes to the relocation system in response to problems noted in our earlier report. While this report primarily concerns policies and programs that have now been updated, we believe that our findings are still relevant. The types of challenges encountered during the first phase of implementation remain threats to the long-term success of the relocation effort, particularly the challenge of providing effective services to so many residents with complex needs. In this section, we draw lessons from our findings about the issues that must be addressed to ensure that new policies and programs are implemented successfully to bring about the best possible outcomes for CHA's remaining residents. Ongoing follow-up support is crucial.
- Lease compliance issues appear widespread among the residents who remain in CHA housing.
- Tracking a resident's right to return is important.
- Many residents may need more intensive preparation for the private market.
- Consistency and coordination among service providers is crucial.
- Ongoing evaluation is important.
- More intensive service and long-term follow-up are needed.
The CHA is currently attempting to implement an extremely ambitious set of services that it hopes will both bring about positive outcomes for its current residents and transform its troubled developments. Our assessment of the first phase of relocation highlights critical issues that require attention from the agency and its partners as they continue to try to improve and expand services. The problems inherent in the previous relocation system clearly indicate the need for careful strategic planning, coordination, and ongoing monitoring to ensure that relocation runs as smoothly as possible.
Successfully transforming CHA's housing and bringing about good outcomes for its current residents is extremely challenging. The agency is under pressure to rapidly move forward with its transformation plan. Federal regulations require the rapid closing and demolition of nonviable developments; financing agreements require the redevelopment plans to proceed on set schedules. The CHA has made many modifications to its services to try to address the types of problems identified in this report and has expanded its counseling programs substantially. However, there are still many serious challenges, including the pace of relocation and demolition, the adequacy and effectiveness of services, and the complex needs of the remaining residents—including those who are living in CHA developments illegally. The CHA will need to continue to think strategically and creatively about how to ensure that the very poor families who have depended on its developments for shelter end up in decent, secure housing.
1. Section 202 of the Omnibus Consolidated Reconciliation Act (OCRA), 1996.
2. See the CHA Plan for Transformation (October 2000) for more details regarding demolition and relocation. Most of these demolitions are covered by a 1996 federal law calling for the conversion to vouchers of certain severely distressed public housing developments.
3. Based on its experience with the first three years of the Plan, the CHA now believes that this figure will ultimately be lower than originally estimated.
4. The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 merged the Section 8 certificate and voucher program into one to create the Housing Choice Voucher program. We refer to this program throughout the report as "Section 8 vouchers" or "Section 8."
5. The Chicago Housing Authority, MTW Annual Report FY 2001, March 2002; the Chicago Housing Authority, CHA Relocation Department Presentation, April 18, 2002
6. Specifically, families with multiple complex problems, lease compliance issues, or credit problems.
This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF), which many find convenient when printing.
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