Low-income families in their new neighborhoods - The short-term effects ofmoving 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 Oppor tunity (MTO) demonstration program. MTO features a controlled experimental design and thus may be better suited, in the long run, than recent survey-b ased studies to elucidate the effects of neighborhood conditions on family and children's well-being. We focus on five key aspects of family well-bein g: neighborhood conditions, feelings of safety, experiences with crime, opp ortunities and risks for teenagers, and access to services. All mover famil ies experienced significant improvements on each measure, yet those that we re required to move to low-poverty neighborhoods experienced the greatest i mprovements. The only drawback to these low-poverty moves appears to be the relative isolation of the destination, particularly concerning access to p ublic transportation; however, more intensive housing counseling might help families choose neighborhoods with better access to transportation and clo ser to other services.