Economic, Racial Diversity Seem to Be Increasing
in Local Public Housing, According to UC Surveys

"Home Sweet Home" may not be the popular notion of public housing, but it's increasingly the case for local public housing residents, according to University of Cincinnati surveys.

Findings from six surveys completed from 1995-2000 by UC planning professor David Varady, include:

The percentage of whites living in Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) housing jumped from 6 to 11 percent between 1999 and 2000.

From 1995 to 2000, the average income of CMHA residents rose 36 percent from $7,404 to $10,100.

CMHA residents are more likely to hold jobs. The overall proportion of residents who were employed rose from 24 percent in 1995 to 33 percent in 2000. NOTE: This figure includes senior citizens who are less likely to work than younger residents.

Satisfaction with housing remained constant with 77 percent of residents reporting satisfaction with their units, and 34 percent were very satisfied. Over the years covered by the surveys, 63 percent of respondents reported no major housing problems.

Residents' satisfaction with their neighborhoods rose over the years. Less than half of residents were satisfied with their neighborhood from 1995-1997. However, 62 percent reported satisfaction with their neighborhoods in 2000. For the 1995-2000 period as a whole, more respondents, 46 percent, believed neighborhood conditions were getting better than were getting worse (17 percent). The proportion perceiving neighborhood physical conditions getting worse dropped steadily since 1995, from 21 percent to 14 percent.

Major crime in CMHA developments dropped by more than 40 percent between 1994 and 1997.

These crime statistics might be a factor in rising perceptions of safety. For example, the study also found:

Elderly residents reported feeling safer at night.

Ninety percent of all CMHA residents felt safe on neighborhood streets in 2000, up from 78 percent in 1995.

Between 1995 and 2000, the proportion of all residents perceiving crime problem getting worse declined from 37 to 14 percent.

More than half of residents perceived drugs as a major problem in 1995, but only two-fifths did so in 2000.

Varady opined that, in part, this change is likely due to an overall decrease in crime throughout U.S. communities. Cincinnati is no exception, he said. In addition, according to Donald Troendle, executive director, CMHA, the housing authority implemented a "One Strike, You're Out" policy for those involved in criminal activities. Surveys show that residents support the stringent eviction policies. About half (47 percent) actually wanted stricter enforcement of rules, while only 8 percent though CMHA should be more lenient with tenants.

The increase in racial diversity at CMHA, if confirmed by future surveys, would mirror national trends. Varady said there is a decades-long increase towards more ethnic diversity in U.S. neighborhoods. "More and more, we see less racial segmentation in U.S. neighborhoods as we look at the data from the 1970s, '80s and '90s," he explained, adding that racial mixing is higher on the West Coast and in large western cities like Denver.

Troendle said that Varady's surveys help CMHA, the nation's 17th-largest public housing authority with about 17,000 residents in 7,000 units, figure new ways to become competitive via niche marketing efforts as well as other improvements: computerized tracking of all repair/work orders, new playgrounds, and kitchen and bath modernization. He added, "Overall, society dismisses public housing so we have to go in many directions at once."

While CMHA has grown more competitive and entrepreneurial in recent years, it will probably have to work hard to continue attracting a diverse resident population, explained Varady. "The housing market here is much looser than in other cities like New York. So, CMHA housing is seen as a stepping stone to owning a home or renting in the private market," he said. That might explain why a large proportion of residents surveyed expressed a desire to move.

The average stay in CMHA housing is five years, according to the survey. Residents of the "Big Six" developments (Laurel Homes, Winton Terrace, English Woods, Lincoln Court, Millvale and Findlater Gardens) were more interested in moving than those living in scattered-site housing or in the 11 senior housing structures. Overall, 59 percent of CMHA residents planned to move within 5 years. In 2000, 70 percent of Big Six residents were interested in relocating. Over the 1995-2000 period, 71 percent wished to move to a private home or apartment.

Varady has studied housing patterns across the country for years, including the rate and nature of black suburbanization; senior housing; red-lining; housing vouchers; community development; and issues related to renting vs. buying. From 1995 to 2000, he has surveyed hundreds of residents of CMHA. Results ere published in the British journal, "Housing Studies."