ASSISTING RESIDENTS OF PUBLIC-HOUSING ACHIEVE SELF-SUFFICIENCY - AN EVALUATION OF CHARLOTTES GATEWAY FAMILIES PROGRAM

Recently interest has grown in programs designed to assist public hous ing residents achieve self-sufficiency. This paper provides a prelimin ary assessment of one such program sponsored by the Charlotte Housing Authority. The results indicate that the housing authority had great d ifficulty recruiting program participants and there was a higher than anticipated dropout rate. The progress of participants through the pro gram was also slower than expected. Continuing participants, however a re generally satisfied with the program and its impact on their lives. The implications of the findings for the design and implementation of self-sufficiency programs are explored.