Emily Rosenbaum

Residential mobility and opportunities: Early impacts of the moving to opportunity demonstration program in Chicago

Abstract This article uses survey data from the Moving to Opportunity demonstration program in Chicago to explore changes for households moving from public housing. The focus is on two key areas: housing and neighborhood conditions, and labor force participation and employment of householders. The experimental design of the program allows the differences between comparison households, which moved with a regular Section 8 voucher, and experimental households, which moved to low‐poverty neighborhoods with housing counseling assistance, to be examined. The findings, based on interviews an average of 18 months after families moved, reveal dramatic improvements in neighborhood and housing conditions for all participating families; experimental families experienced even greater gains in terms of housing and especially neighborhood conditions. Labor force participation and employment increased for householders in both groups, likely fueled by the robust economy throughout much of the country and supporting similar findings for program participants in New York and Boston.

Racial/ethnic differences in home ownership and housing quality, 1991

This study uses two data sets to examine racial/ethnic differences in three aspects of housing consumption — housing unit inadequacy, proximity to abandoned buildings, and home ownership — in the New York-New Jersey-Long Island metropolitan area and in New York City. In general, the results show that the spatial assimilation model explains the process of home ownership well, but that housing unit quality and neighborhood physical condition respond mainly to indicators of a familys purchasing power. After controlling for group differences in family composition and socioeconomic resources. Black and Hispanic families remained less likely than white families to live in high-quality units and neighborhoods, and all minority families were less likely to own their homes in both locations. These persistent disadvantages may partially reflect preferences for residence apart from whites (see Feagin 1994) but also suggest that the poorer treatment that minority home seekers receive from housing market agents helps to sort Black, Hispanic, and — to a lesser degree — Asian families toward lower-quality housing opportunities than those available to whites.

Differences in the locational attainment of immigrant and native-born households with children in New York City

In this paper we use a data set created especially for New York City to evaluate whether the locational attainment of households with children, as indicated by the context of the neighborhoods in which they live, varies by their immigrant status. In addition, we evaluate whether the relationship between immigrant status and neighborhood conditions varies by the householder’s race/ethnicity. Overall, when compared with native-born households with children, immigrant households with children live in neighborhoods of lower quality, characterized by higher teenage fertility rates and higher percentages of students in local schools scoring below grade level in math and of persons receiving AFDC, but lower rates of juvenile detention. Further analyses, however, revealed that race/ethnicity is far more potent than immigrant status per se in predicting where households with children live.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Asthma Prevalence: The Role of Housing and Neighborhood Environments

This article examines the prevalence of asthma among New York City households from 10 racial/ethnic groups, and it explores whether differential exposure to potentially adverse housing and neighborhood conditions helps to mediate observed disparities. After adjusting for household size, Puerto Rican households exhibit the highest levels of asthma, followed by other Hispanic and black households. Mexican, Chinese, and Asian Indian households exhibit the lowest levels of asthma. Results from multilevel logistic regression models indicate that exposure to deteriorated housing conditions and perceptions of low social cohesion in the neighborhood significantly elevate the odds of asthma. Controlling for these conditions along with household characteristics reduces the disproportionately high levels of asthma among Puerto Rican and black households, although they remain significantly higher than the level among white households.

Nativity Status and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Access to Quality Housing: Does Homeownership Bring Greater Parity?

Abstract In this article, we use data from the 2001 American Housing Survey to evaluate whether nativity‐status differences in housing conditions vary by tenure and whether nativity status or race/ethnicity plays a more important role in determining housing conditions. Overall, when compared with native‐born households, recently arrived immigrant households are significantly more likely to be crowded, but either as likely or significantly less likely to live in poorer‐quality housing. Further analysis revealed, however, that race/ethnicity is a stronger indicator than immigrant status in predicting housing outcomes. Among homeowners, black and Hispanic households, regardless of nativity status, exhibited lower‐quality housing outcomes than native‐born and, frequently, foreign‐born whites. Thus, we find that minorities are doubly disadvantaged: They are less likely to attain homeownership than whites, and once they do, they are almost always significantly more likely to live in poorer‐quality housing.

Low-Income Families in Their New Neighborhoods The Short-Term Effects of Moving From Chicago's Public Housing

This article investigates short-term changes in neighborhood conditions for families moving from Chicago public housing as part of the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) demonstration program. MTO features a controlled experimental design and thus may be better suited, in the long run, than recent survey-based studies to elucidate the effects of neighborhood conditions on family and childrens well-being. We focus on five key aspects of family well-being: neighborhood conditions, feelings of safety, experiences with crime, opportunities and risks for teenagers, and access to services. All mover families experienced significant improvements on each measure, yet those that were required to move to low-poverty neighborhoods experienced the greatest improvements. The only drawback to these low-poverty moves appears to be the relative isolation of the destination, particularly concerning access to public transportation; however, more intensive housing counseling might help families choose neighborhoods with better access to transportation and closer to other services.

Nativity Differences in Neighborhood Quality among New York City Households

Abstract This article adds to the literature on locational attainment of immigrants by evaluating how immigrant households in New York City compare with native‐born households with respect to neighborhood characteristics. It also examines whether the relationship between immigrant status and neighborhood quality varies by race/ethnicity and place of birth. Overall, foreign‐born households are more likely than native‐born households to live in neighborhoods with less access to medical care, higher rates of tuberculosis, and higher concentrations of poverty. Multivariate analyses reveal that all but one of these disadvantages disappear for foreign‐born households as a group. However, island‐born Puerto Ricans and immigrants—especially Dominicans, Caribbeans and Africans, and Latin Americans—are more likely to reside in lower‐quality neighborhoods than native‐born white households. Equally important, native‐born blacks and Hispanics are also disproportionately disadvantaged relative to native‐born whites, su...

Generational patterns in home ownership and housing quality among racial/ethnic groups in New York city, 1999

We use survey data for 1999 to evaluate how well the spatial assimilation model characterizes the generational patterns in housing conditions for racial/ethnic groups in New York City. Focusing on home ownership, crowding, and housing quality, bivariate analyses reveal that housing conditions improve across generations, but mainly for whites and other Hispanics. Among blacks, we find patterns of generational decline in housing conditions and socioeconomic status. Multivariate models reveal significant generational improvements among whites and Puerto Ricans with respect to home ownership and among whites, blacks, and other Hispanics, with respect to crowding. However, notable generational declines are evident for blacks in home ownership and housing quality. Broad support for spatial assimilation theory is evident in the associations of socioeconomic status with housing conditions, but the results for blacks raise questions about the overall primacy of the spatial assimilation model.

Sleep and the Housing and Neighborhood Environment of Urban Latino Adults Living in Low-Income Housing: The AHOME Study

Sleep is implicated in the risk of many chronic diseases; however, little is known about the living conditions that influence sleep. In this study of 371 low-income Latino residents, household crowding was associated with reduced odds of long sleep duration relative to average and short sleep duration. Neighborhood disorder and perceived building problems were associated with more sleep disturbances and poor sleep quality. Building problems were associated with prolonged sleep latency. There was a significant cumulative effect of adverse housing and neighborhood conditions on sleep outcomes. These results show that adverse conditions of both the housing and neighborhood environments are associated with poor sleep outcomes.

Holding the Line: Housing Turnover and the Persistence of Racial/Ethnic Segregation in New York City

ABSTRACT: This article uses a panel data set of paired observations of housing units for the most recent inter-censal period to examine the micro-level mobility dynamics that maintain disproportionately high levels of white/black segregation in New York City. Multinomial logistic regression models reveal an unmistakable pattern of white avoidance of mixed and predominantly non-white areas, and areas dominated by blacks, countered by significantly increased odds of Hispanic and particularly black in-movement to these same areas. Coupled with evidence of enhanced odds of white out-movement from these same kinds of areas, the results overall indicate that “white flight” as well as white avoidance help to maintain extreme levels of white/black segregation. The pattern of areal effects on the odds of mobility incidence and racial/ethnic turnover also reveal the dynamics that have produced predominantly non-white areas composed almost exclusively of blacks and Hispanics.