Anticipating hot issues and producing timely reports for policy makers

URBAN INSTITUTE

Anticipating hot issues and producing timely reports

for policy makers

Susan J. Popkin, Ph.D.

The Urban Institute

Qualitative Research for Policy Making 2011

May 26-27

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Overview

• Policy Problem: Vulnerable families in distressed public housing in the US

• Background: Mixed-Method research to informs policy debate– Gautreaux

– Moving to Opportunity

– “Hidden War”

– HOPE VI Panel Study

• Chicago Family Case Management/”Hard to House” Demonstration Case Study

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Transforming Distressed Public Housing

• Poor management

• Legacy of segregation

• Physical decay

• Crime

• Troubled Residents

But not a solution for the most vulnerable

• National movement to transform public housing

• Emphasis on mixed-income communities and enabling resident self-sufficiency

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Studies of Housing Mobility Efforts

• Gautreaux Study 1988•Mixed-method study of participant families

•Informed policy debate about public housing in the US

•Led to new efforts to promote mobility

•Moving to Opportunity•10-year experiment

• Qualitative Three-City Study

•Findings on youth

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“Hidden War” and HOPE VI Panel Study

• Hidden War– Surveys and interviews of residents in Chicago

public housing

– Underscored severity of challenges

• HOPE VI Panel Study

– Panel survey and interviews of adults and youth

– Brought resident voices to debate over relocation

– Highlighted need for new approaches for most vulnerable

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The Chicago “Hard to House”

DemonstrationMadden/Wells Homes The Dearborn Homes

Deeply distressed individuals and families

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Chicago Family Case Management

Demonstration• Grew out of previous research on HOPE VI and MTO

• Linked Services and Research

• Enhanced supportive services for all residents in two

CHA developments with hope of assisting most

vulnerable households

Housing Choice Partners:Working for Better Housing

Solutions

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Research Purpose• Implementation

– Test the feasibility of wrap-around supportive services

for vulnerable families in public housing

• Expected resident intermediate and final

outcomes

– Engagement

– Housing stability

– Mental and physical health

– Self-sufficiency

– Safety and fear

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Mixed-Methods• Formative evaluation

– Weekly communication; Monitoring; Interviews with

service providers and CHA staff

• Outcome evaluation– Baseline survey (2007): 344 families (76% response

rate) – Follow-up survey (2009): 287 families (90% response

rate)– Qualitative in-depth interviews with residents

• Costs analysis

• In-depth interviews with adults and youth

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Qualitative Interviews

• Interviewed 31 respondents

– 21 adults

– 9 adolescents

• Used qualitative data to enhance survey

– Provided necessary insight where quantitative data was lacking

– Enabled us to get first hand accounts from adolescents.

– Illuminated challenges around safety, mental and physical health

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Key Findings: Resident Typology• Striving (39%)

– Connected to labor market

– Better mental and physical health

– Younger and have children

• Aging and distressed (21%)– Serious health challenges

– Little connection to labor market

– Oldest group and least likely to have children

• High risk (40%)– Younger and have children

– Low employment levels

– High rates of poor health

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• Resident engagement increased from 50 to

nearly 90 percent

• Engaged residents average 3 meetings per

month with case managers

• In 2009, residents felt their case managers

were more trustworthy, more prepared, and

better motivators than at baseline

Key Findings: Successful Case

Management Model

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Key Findings: Employment

• Employment increased, but earnings did not,

and public assistance receipt remained stable.

• Transitional Jobs reached a range of residents

and helped them find jobs.

• Stable employment will be difficult to find

without first addressing residents’ serious

health challenges.

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• Physical and mental health stabilized

• Significant improvement in levels of anxiety

and worry

• High rates of chronic illness and mortality

• High rates of substance abuse and mental

illness

• Qualitative research shows depth, complexity

of challenges

Key Findings: Resident Health

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I got sick, due to high blood pressure. And I kept constantly getting

sick and they told me that they were going to end up having to let

me go or I need to do something to take care of myself. Because

every time I got sick on the job they got tired of me calling the

paramedics, saying [I’m] making them their store look bad.… I was

the cook. Standing around that heat really got to me. When I got

sick, ended up in the hospital, and then the doctors they checked me

out [...] I was in there for about no more than about an hour. And

then they sent me home. And when I went home I didn’t have no

doctor statement, and then that’s when they fired me. -Rhonda

Profile of Challenges

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• Children are exhibiting alarming levels of

distress.

• Children of higher-functioning parents are

doing better; children in the most distressed

households are suffering the most.

• Without effective intervention, many

children will face the same struggles as their

parents.

Key Findings: The Crisis for CHA’s Youth

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Qualitative Research: Understanding

the Challenges for Youth

It was kinda tough because it was, like, every day, I had to

watch my back. ’Cause they used to shoot a lot over there [in

Wells]. It was kinda hard because I ain’t like always having to

watch my back…when I played, I gotta watch my back, make

sure people don’t be doing nothin’ bad around me or nothing,

and I can’t get used to that. But I had to get used to it. Then I

stopped being afraid and I just stopped watching my back. So,

I stopped being afraid. -Robert, age 12

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Policy Implications

• Housing authorities must be willing to take

risks and experiment with service

provision.

• Targeting high-risk families may have long-

term payoffs.

• Strategies to reach youth are critical

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From Research to “Hot” Policy Issue

• Pay attention to current policy debate

– Renewed interest in place-based strategies

– Policy focus on improving education, youth

outcomes

– Clear need for services for vulnerable public

housing residents—creates interest

• All creates environment where

policymakers are willing to engage

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• Present research in short,

accessible format.

• Rigorous methods key for

credibility.

• Use qualitative research to

shape the story.

Effective Dissemination

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• Outreach to policy makers and practitioners

• Briefings, meetings, presentations to

practitioner audiences

• Focusing on academic audiences will limit

impact

Invest Time in Outreach

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• HOST Demonstration exploring scalability and

efficacy of youth-focused services

– To inform HUD policy directly

• Informing HUD and Department of Education

initiatives (Choice, Promise Neighborhoods)

• Influencing decisions around housing and

services

Results: Real Policy Impact

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Accessing the Reports

http://www.urban.org/housing/Supporting-Vulnerable-

Public-Housing-Families.cfm

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Presented at the 2nd European

conference on Qualitative Research for

Policy Making, 26 -27 May 2011, Belfast

For more information

Please visit: http://www.merlien.org