HOPE VI Study by University of Louisville

Introduction to the problem

This study evaluates resident's satisfaction with HOPE VI's Park DuValle Revitalization Project in Louisville, Kentucky. The HOPE VI program is not another "bricks and mortar" project but new and different, because it involves physical and social planning to improve both resident and neighborhood. The physical planning portion of Louisville's Park DuValle HOPE VI Program involves: demolishing a existing public housing community of 1,116 families; building a New Urbanism Community of 1,273 families; relocating original public housing residents back into their neighborhood as both renters and homeowners; and attracting mixed-income non-public housing residents into the original neighborhood as both renters and homeowners.

The social planning portion involves providing public housing residents the opportunity to receive self-sufficiency services whether they move to HOPE VI replacement units, choose Section 8 housing, or choose traditional public housing. Services include but are not limited to case management, employment and career training, computer training, GED training, youth activities, childcare, family health services, and health insurance for children. The importance of doing such a study is critical because of the enormous potential costs and/or benefits to human capital; implications for research, theory, and public housing policy; and as a local economic development tool. The central questions addressed are: (1) Is HOPE VI achieving its stated objectives? (2) What is the impact of the HOPE VI environment on residential satisfaction?

Narrative History of HOPE VI

In 1989, the U.S. Congress, in the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act, established the ‘National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing' to study distressed public housing and make recommendations on how to better the situation by the year 2000. In 1992, the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing completed their study, citing six percent (6%) of public housing (approximately 86,000 units) as uninhabitable (HUD, 2000).

Congress crafted legislation they thought would overhaul and "save public housing." Senator Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Appropriations Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee, introduced into Fiscal Year 1993 appropriations $300 million for the funding of a public housing revitalization program that would demolish uninhabitable public housing, replacing them with renovated and new human-scaled units, and providing social services to residents (Twohey, 2000, pp. 1279). The HOPE VI program proposed to demolish 115,000 public units, replacing them with 60,000 new or rehabilitated units, a shortfall of over 55,000 public housing units. The legislation for the Urban Revitalization Demonstration (URD) program was passed by Congress, has had annual appropriations until FY 2004, and has become known as "Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere" (HOPE VI), a program creating mixed-income communities of comfort, calmness and community. The HOPE VI program has five main objectives: (1) change the physical shape of public housing, (2) reduce concentrations of poverty, (3) provide support services to public housing residents, (4) maintain high standards of personal responsibility, and (5) form private/public partnerships for project completion...

A Narrative History of Park DuValle

African Americans first occupied the area in Western Louisville that is now known as "Park DuValle" in the 1880s. The area was called "Little Africa" and was thought to be the black section of Parkland, a Louisville suburb. In the late 1940s ,"Little Africa" was razed by urban renewal and a public housing project built in 1952, named after educator and noted poet Joseph Cotter, Sr. Another public-housing project, Lang Homes, was built in the same area a few years later in 1958 (Jones, 1999).

Cotter and Lang Homes established an enormous area of low-income housing for families that were both socially and physically isolated from the rest of the Park DuValle neighborhood. Cotter Homes had 620 apartments in 55 identically designed buildings on a 34-acre site. Lang Homes was comprised of 496 apartments in 63 identically designed buildings on a 41-acre site. It looked like old, temporary military-style barracks from World War II. These projects were not positive symbols of self-identity (Gilderbloom and Appelbaum, 1988). The design and size of the public housing complex made it impossible to blend with the existing neighborhood; therefore, they became their own neighborhood of low-income residents.

HOPE VI Objectives - Park DuValle

The first objective of HOPE VI – "change the physical shape of public housing" – was accomplished at Park DuValle by demolishing existing public housing and building a New Urbanism community. The flat roof, concrete structural frame, non-load-bearing concrete block wall design of public housing was transformed into human scale, wood-framed, brick veneer walls, gable roof townhouses and single family detached homes. The HOPE VI residential development is based on three architecture styles found in Louisville: Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Craftsman. New Urbanism argues that traditional architectural styles need to be part of the development for continuity. The HOPE VI development has traditional housing elements including front porches, front and rear yards, narrow streets, alleys, and walkable neighborhoods. HOPE VI has changed the shape of public housing.

The second objective of HOPE VI – "reduce concentrations of poverty" – was accomplished by reducing residential unit count by approximately one-half. Cotter Homes (public housing) averaged 17 dwelling units per acre. Lang Homes (public housing) averaged 12 dwelling units per acre, while Park DuValle's Oaks (Phase I) averaged eight dwelling units per acre and Park DuValle's The Village (Phase II) averages seven dwelling units per acre (Housing Authority of Louisville, 1998). The yearly income for residents in Cotter and Lang Homes averaged $5,000/yr. in 1994, while the mean income of the HOPE VI Park DuValle residents in 2001 averaged $26,134 (Brazley, 2002). This study found that the median household income for the Park DuValle community has increased, serious crime was reduced, the housing stock was significantly improved, housing units per acre were reduced, the value of property increased, the neighborhood became livable again, and concentrations of poverty were reduced (Brazley, 2002).

The third objective of the HOPE VI program is to provide residents with support services in the form of self-sufficiency programs. The self-sufficiency program, available to public housing residents, proposes to help families achieve and sustain self-sufficiency and encourage economic and community investment through employment, education, and human services initiatives (Gilderbloom and Mullins, 2005).

The fourth objective of the HOPE VI program – "maintain high standards of personal responsibility" – began with President Clinton's "One Strike and You're Out" policy, keeping drug dealers and other criminal activities out of public housing. The HOPE VI program has screening criteria, which residents must pass to live at Park DuValle. Park DuValle has some of the highest standards of personal responsibility requirements in the country, requiring criminal background checks, credit checks, rental history checks, employment/job training/family self-sufficiency, and housekeeping inspection checks.

The fifth objective of HOPE VI is to establish public/private partnerships for program completion. HUD's initial $51 million grant, to the Park DuValle project, was leveraged into $180 million of public-private funding. The public-private partnerships includes HUD, the City of Louisville, Housing Authority of Louisville, Community Builders Inc., University of Louisville, Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods, The Housing Partnership Inc., Louisville real Estate Development Co., Inc., PNC Bank, and National City Community Development Corporation (Gilderbloom and Mullins, 2005). Thus the Park DuValle project has completed or is in the process of completing all of the major objectives of the HOPE VI program...

Analysis of Data

... Statistics reveal that among public housing residents in the Park DuValle neighborhood, median income increased over $9,000 in less than four years from $5,016 to $14,400 between 1996 and 2000. The HOPE VI program helps to attract families of higher income into the area.

...The majority of residents as a whole were satisfied with the location of the following neighborhood elements: public transportation, schools, childcare, churches, employment, and medical services. Residents as a group were dissatisfied with shopping and entertainment...

...All groups of residents (total population, public housing, and non-public housing) were satisfied with Park DuValle's housing, street lighting, sidewalks, cleanliness, child recreation, adult recreation, and neighborhood in general. While the majority was generally satisfied, it should be noted that 47 percent of the residents were dissatisfied with adult recreation and 41 percent dissatisfied with child recreation.

...All groups of residents (total population, public housing, and non-public housing) thought that their new HOPE VI neighborhood, Park DuValle, is a "much better place" to live; overall about 70 percent...

Summary of Data

Park DuValle's public housing was in a state of decline until the HOPE VI intervention. The neighborhood had high crime, high density, housing stock in disrepair, and declining family incomes. The Cotter/Lang population was one of the youngest and poorest groups of families when compared to other public housing authorities around the country. Before HOPE VI, the Park DuValle community was known as the most crime-ridden and dangerous neighborhood in Louisville.

The HOPE VI Park DuValle Revitalization has sparked a surge in middle-class African American homes. 80 percent of the heads of household have fulltime employment and median yearly household income of about $30,000. Most of these households are single African-American females. Approximately 100 percent of the heads of household have at least the equivalent of a high school education and live with two or more children.

Initial reactions to HOPE VI have been positive. When surveyed the majority of residents stated that they were satisfied with their Park DuValle neighborhood (schools, churches, public transportation, childcare, medical services, and employment). Residents were dissatisfied with shopping and entertainment in and around the neighborhood. The majority of residents were satisfied with their Park DuValle housing (housing, street lighting, sidewalks, cleanliness of area, neighborhood in general, and adult and child recreation).

Survey data reveals that residents think of Park DuValle as being their real home; residential satisfaction with "the location of HOPE VI" and "the safety of the Park DuValle neighborhood." Survey data of the first two phases of the Park DuValle Revitalization Project revealed that residents are satisfied (pleased) with: housing, neighborhood, location, and safety. They are dissatisfied with shopping and entertainment. All in all, the majority (70 percent or greater) of residents of the Park DuValle HOPE VI project were satisfied with their homes and neighborhoods.

Conclusion

HOPE VI, so far, appears to be accomplishing its objectives: changing the physical shape of housing, reducing concentrations of poverty, providing support services, establishing and maintaining high standards of community and personal responsibility, and forming partnerships. When residents compared their HOPE VI houses and neighborhood to their previous residences, levels of satisfaction were generally higher in almost every area. These attitudes were consistent for both former public housing and non-public housing residents.

References

Brazley, Michael D. 2002. Dissertation: An Evaluation of Residential Satisfaction of HOPE VI: A Study of the Park DuValle Revitalization Project. University of Louisville, College of Business, Department of Urban Policy.

Gilderbloom, John and Richard Appelbaum, Rethinking Rental Housing. Philadelphia, PA: Temple Press

Gilderbloom, John and Rob Mullins, 2005, Promise and Betrayal: Universities the Battle for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods. Albany, NY: SUNY Press

Jones, Michael L. 1999. The Rebirth of Park DuValle. Louisville Magazine (November 1999), published by Louisville Magazine, Louisville, Kentucky. Pp. 51-57.

Twohey, Megan. 2000. Chicago Hope. National Journal, Washington D.C., pp. 1279.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 2000. HOPE VI: Community Building Makes a Difference. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.