Amber Parker

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Brain, David

Keywords

Sarasota, Florida, Public Housing, Low-Income, Relocation, Interviews

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

The redevelopment of America’s public housing under the HOPE VI program has forcibly relocated tens of thousands of public housing residents around the country. Though the program intended to enhance low- income individuals’ lives through the deconcentration of poverty, some of the transformative effects of relocation have not been realized. In this study, I interviewed twelve former public housing residents. I asked questions about how relocation had affected them in terms of their social, psychological, and financial situations. The director of the Sarasota Housing Authority and a representative from the Sarasota Office of Community Development also answered questions about the relocation and redevelopment processes. I found that respondents reported overall satisfaction from relocation, but low-income individuals are plagued by vast inequalities in the public and private housing markets. My analysis conveys the cultural, institutional, and social forces that perpetuate these cyclical trends in hopes of improving the government programs and services offered to low income individuals.

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