Children in Public Housing Developments: An Examination of the Children at the Beginning of the Jobs-Plus Demonstration.

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Ambrose Monell Foundation, New York, NY.
Fannie Mae Foundation, Washington, DC.
George Gund Foundation, Cleveland, OH.
Open Society Inst., New York, NY.
Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC.

Academic Achievement; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescents; Age Differences; At Risk Persons; Child Behavior; Children; Comparative Analysis; Dropout Rate; Employed Parents; Environmental Influences; Family Violence; Low Income Groups; Mental Health; Neighborhoods; Parents; Pregnant Students; Public Housing; Safety; Sex Differences; Welfare Recipients; Well Being

Although it is commonly assumed that children living in public housing are at greater risk of experiencing academic and behavioral problems than other low-income children, there is little research available documenting the circumstances and experiences of these children and examining whether differences in outcomes between them and their non-public housing counterparts are associated with characteristics of the developments in which they live. This study used data on nearly 1,500 children--ages 6 to 17 years--from 850 public housing families. Data were collected prior to the implementation of the Jobs-Plus demonstration program at seven sites to examine the well-being of children living in public housing developments and explore whether characteristics of their parents and the communities are associated with differences in the childrens outcomes. Among the key findings of the study are that on some, but not all, measures of school and behavioral outcomes, a substantial proportion of public housing children exhibited negative outcomes. Older children and boys were at greater risk than younger children and girls. When compared with children receiving welfare in selected states, children in the Jobs-Plus developments were at slightly greater risk of experiencing negative school and behavioral outcomes. Few associations were found between measures of the Jobs-Plus children's well-being and their parents employment or welfare status. Parents mental health and experience with domestic abuse were associated with negative aspects of childrens schooling and behavior. Contextual factors of the housing development, such as proportion of parents who had jobs, were not related to children's outcomes. (Contains 27 references.) (KB)

2003

ED473319