Low-income public housing has always been stereotypically viewed as havens of crime and drugs. Long-term outcomes on children might actually be positive.
Public housing is a government provision for families in low-income sectors in every urban city in the United States, as well as Indian reservations and thousands of smaller communities. On one hand, public housing gives single parents and others some economic breathing room. On the other hand, many public housing projects have developed problems with drugs and crime. The long-term effects of public housing on children is a matter of debate, and available evidence shows both negative and positive results for children in public housing projects.
Crime, Gangs, Drugs - Effects on Children
Low-income projects have been criticized for hosting crime, gang activity and drugs. Patrick Sharkey, assistant professor of sociology at New York University, concluded that witnessing violent crime in the neighborhood affects a child's cognitive abilities in the week following the exposure. Crimes that affect a child personally can have long-term psychological consequences, according to the National Organization for Victim Assistance. Affected children may experience diminished interest in enjoyable activities, as well as a sense of a foreshortened future and hopelessness. Young children can experience delays in developmental skills such as toilet training or language skills.
Homicides in Kentucy
In 2009, a University of Louisville study on housing projects in Kentucky concluded that living in violent public housing projects can impact children's abilities to concentrate in school, and can affect their general feelings of well being. Violent neighborhoods also put children in physical danger.
Contrary Evidence from Sociological Studies
Research by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that children raised in public housing attained higher high school graduation rates and attended postsecondary institutions more frequently than their disadvantaged peers that resided elsewhere.
Improved Nutrition from Stability
A study conducted by Boston Medical Center and the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program concluded that when the transiency that some families experience is relieved through public housing, better nutrition results for many children with corresponding better health over the long term.
Positive Outcomes
Another study, conducted in Los Angeles, found that children in public housing were less likely to suffer from overcrowding or live in high-density complexes, and were less likely to be held back from school.
