Patterns of Neighborhood Relocation in a Longitudinal HOPE VI Natural Experiment: The Genes, Environment, and Neighborhood Initiative (GENI) Study (WP-14-09)
Brian Mustanski, Gayle Byck, John Bolland, David Henry, Greg Swann, and Danielle Dick
In this paper, the researchers test the underlying tenants of a natural experiment based in federal housing program HOPE VI that (1) youth and their neighborhood characteristics were similar between HOPE VI and control neighborhoods prior to relocation; and (2) that HOPE VI families moved to improved neighborhoods. In testing these assumptions, they advance understanding of patterns of family relocation in HOPE VI programs. The study sample is unique as it is linked to a longitudinal study; this addresses an important limitation of many housing relocation studies which is the lack of pre-relocation data to determine whether groups differed in any substantial way prior to moving.