Residents in our nation’s public housing developments often live in conditions of concentrated poverty, endure unhealthy and unstable housing and community contexts, and have weak social and economic opportunities that impede the health, well-being, and opportunities of children, youth, and adults. This mixed-methods study uses a multi-arm natural experiment of public housing redevelopment to evaluate whether improving housing quality, limiting external displacement, and creating a mixed-income community improves the physical, mental, and behavioral health as well as the educational and economic success of public housing residents, including children, youth, and adults. Data are being gathered using resident surveys, environmental assessments, administrative data, hair cortisol samples, and in-depth qualitative interviews over a 5-year period. Results will provide key insights into burgeoning economic health disparities and inform policies and practices targeting our most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

We are conducting a quasi-experimental mixed-methods longitudinal study following approximately 800 individuals (children, youth, adults, and older adults) in 450 households across 5 years of community redevelopment.  We are collecting three waves of surveys, combined with direct environmental assessments, physiological stress measures, and annual in-depth qualitative interviews and geocoded administrative data. This innovative combination of sources will provide data on societal policies, community characteristics, interpersonal processes, and individual health and socioeconomic outcomes. We will test our specific aims using rigorous analytic techniques to evaluate the effects of housing quality, displacement, and mixed-income communities on resident wellbeing across the lifespan.