Latina immigrants in public housing: Race relations, social networks and access to services

People of Latin American origin or descent are the fastest growing and poorest population in the United States. As the second generation of immigrants comes of age, many scholars have expressed concern about the prospects for social mobility of those who are living in poverty. This dissertation research, therefore, focuses on the life experiences and opportunities of first and second-generation Latin-American immigrant women residing in public housing. Drawing heavily upon social capital theory, the study examines the role of neighborhood race relations, social networks and access to services in shaping the educational and occupation aspirations, as well as the psychological well-being of these women.; The majority of the data for this research is derived from a national project, The Welfare, Children and Families' Three City Study. Specifically, the focus is on a subset of 19 Latin-American women residing in public housing developments in two Boston neighborhoods. In South Boston, the women are segregated and clustered within a predominately Irish-American community. In contrast, the women residing in East Boston live surrounded by a Latin-American ethnic enclave. Using longitudinal ethnographic interviews and participant observation, I was able to find that the women in South Boston have more heterogeneity in their networks, leading to better outcomes in education and employment. In contrast, the women enclosed in the immigrant enclave remained poor and more socially isolated. Supporting these findings, the indication is that services to the women in public housing lost out in the competition for services in the immigrant neighborhood while the historical nature of racial violence in the other neighborhood resulted in the provision of superior professional services at the public housing development.; The majority of the women had a progressive sense of agency reinforced by supportive and heterogeneous strong ties, a narrative of immigration and access to bridges that connected them to opportunities. On the other hand, patriarchal family dynamics marked by abuse and control was the main factor promoting a stagnating sense of agency and perpetuating poverty.