Public Housing As a Predictor of Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion

Background and Purpose

Research has been clear in demonstrating that concentrating poverty into low-income neighborhoods results in significant barriers to family well-being. Historically, subsidized affordable housing was constructed in the form of project-based housing, which resulted in neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage. However, housing policies have changed over the last 20-40 years with a new emphasis on dispersing income through housing choice voucher (HCV) and mixed income housing programs. Neighborhood social cohesion has proven a powerful protective mechanism for the deleterious effects of concentrated poverty. Neighborhood social cohesion consists of the trusting and close-knit relationship between neighbors.  Outcome studies for housing income dispersal programs such as HCVs and mixed income developments provide mixed results. However, they seldom focus on residents’ perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. This study examines the relationship between residence in public compared to nonpublic housing and neighborhood social cohesion.  The study research question is: are there differences in the perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion for three different types of housing: 1) HCVs; 2) public housing not using a HCV; and 3) nonpublic housing.

Methods

The study uses data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections initiative (MC).  MC was a community change initiative implemented in low-income neighborhoods in ten U.S. cities between 2002 and 2011 and included the administration of a survey to a stratified random sample of households (N=7,495) in low-income neighborhoods (N=430).  The MC data is unique in that it provides the opportunity to test perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion in different housing types. Neighborhood social cohesion (Mean=3.20, SD = .70) is measured on a five point Likert type scale with higher scores indicating more favorable perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. 

Results

T-test results show perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion were lower for HCV households (N=633, mean=3.06, SD=71, t-value=5.85) and public housing households (N=589, mean=3.05, SD=.68, t-value=6.00) compared to nonpublic housing households (N=5030, mean=3.24, SD=.70). T-test results show no difference between perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion between HCV households and public housing households (t-value=.23).  Regression results show HCV use is related to a .17 (SE=.03) lower social cohesion score and other public housing use is related to a .19 (SE=.03) lower social cohesion score compared to nonpublic housing use. Female adult respondents (b=-.08, SE =.02) and completing more than a high school education (b=-.04, SE=.02) predict perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. Interactions between housing types and all predictors show female respondents report lower perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion in HCVs (b=-.13, SE=.06) and other public housing (b=-.13, SE=.06) compared to nonpublic housing (b=-.06, SE=.02).

Conclusions and Implications

Results show that on average perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion are lower for households using public housing. Additionally, female respondents using public housing report perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion two times lower than female respondents in nonpublic housing.  Income dispersal housing programs like HCVs have the worthwhile goal of breaking-up concentrated poverty. Next, an explicit focus on addressing the social processes that can mediate detrimental neighborhood conditions for low-income families should be added.