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