Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Impact of Scattered Site Public Housing on Social Networks and Access to Opportunity

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9701493 Rohe This Dissertation Research Improvement project examines the effect of residential location on the social networks of people who live in scattered-site and clustered public housing. This work will provide insight into how housing density affects social networks. Two research questions will be addressed-- (1) do the social networks of low-income people living in predominantly low-income neighborhoods differ from those of low-income people living in more affluent neighborhoods; and (1) if differences in social networks exist, are they associated with a differential access to opportunity? Data will be collected by in-person interviews with 270 public housing residents living in two different types of housing in Montgomery County, Maryland. Specifically, this research will compare 148 residents who live in low income housing developments with 122 who live in units scattered throughout more affluent areas. This research addresses a gap in current knowledge about social networks of low income individuals; bridges the neighborhood effects and social networks literatures, suggesting that neighborhood and social networks together impact an individual's live chances; and examines assumptions undergirding an U.S. housing policy initiative that places low-income people in more affluent communities to provide them with social and economic opportunity. ****