Welcome to the neighborhood? Long -term impacts of moving to low -poverty neighborhoods on poor children's and adolescents' outcomes

Large numbers of poor, minority children live in neighborhoods where at least 20% of residents live in poverty. Emerging evidence documents the deleterious impact of neighborhood poverty on children's and adolescents' outcomes. There has been a number of recent policy responses aimed at deconcentrating poverty within poor communities, a number of which provided low-cost housing, dispersed in various low-poverty communities, to poor families. As such, the present study examined 7-year follow-up data from the Yonkers Project, a study of a court-ordered neighborhood desegregation program in Yonkers, NY. The study takes a look at the outcomes of low-income, minority children (8- to 18-years of age) who were randomly assigned to move from high- to low-poverty neighborhoods. These children were compared with a demographically similar group of children who remained in high-poverty neighborhoods. Major outcomes of interest include victimization, school experiences and educational outcomes, behavior problems and delinquency, and family dynamics. Potential pathways of program effects were also examined (i.e., housing quality, neighborhood disorder, family economic status, and informal social networks). Findings were generally unfavorable for children who moved to low-poverty neighborhoods (relative to children who did not move), particularly for youth 15- to 18-years of age and for girls. Youth who relocated to more advantaged neighborhoods reported lower reading and math achievement and more hyperactive behavior problems, affiliation with deviant peers, and substance use than their counterparts that remained in impoverished neighborhoods. Among girls, children who moved reported fewer negative school experiences than children who did not move; however, they also reported more hyperactive behavior problems compared to girls who did not relocate. Primary caregivers who relocated to low-poverty neighborhoods used less discipline and provided more stimulating home environments relative to caregivers who did not move. Finally, there was some evidence that neighborhood conditions assessed approximately 5 years prior accounted for some of the reported program effects. High levels of neighborhood disorder partially accounted for the frequent use of discipline exhibited by stayer parents (relative to movers). Among 15- to 18-year old movers, lack of social contact with neighbors partially explained the unfavorable program effect on their hyperactive problems. The present study concludes with synthesis and policy recommendations.