Urban Parks as Partners in Youth Development

Details how parks can contribute to the latest thinking about effective youth development programs, with a move beyond the traditional view of parks as venues for play

Expanding Access to Economic Opportunity in Fast-Growth Metropolitan Areas

Many community development initiatives traditionally funded by foundations and the federal government evolved to respond to the economic conditions and barriers facing communities in big cities of the northeast and midwest. But conditions are dramatically different in Houston and other fast-growing metros like it. Neighborhood Centers, Inc. is developing and testing strategies for connecting underserved people to opportunities that reflect the realities of Houston's geography, demographics, and economy. This paper is intended to start a discussion about how these strategies differ from more traditional place-based antipoverty strategies, and how similar approaches may suit other metros like Houston

Making Work Pay Enough: A Decent Standard of Living for Working Families

Outlines the needs of low-income working families in meeting everyday living expenses, and proposes reforms and policy initiatives that would both increase incomes and purchasing power and reduce expenditures, especially housing costs

Vibrant Neighborhoods, Successful Schools: What the Federal Government Can Do to Foster Both

Recommends coordinating housing and education policies to create mixed-income neighborhoods with good schools and quality educators, to lower student turnover, and to improve health, nutrition, and school readiness. Presents examples of local initiatives

How Does Family Well-Being Vary Across Different Types of Neighborhoods?

Based on national survey data, examines the impact of neighborhood environments on the well-being of families and children, as indicated by family work effort, economic security, access to services including health care and child care, and child behavior

Federal Programs for Addressing Low-Income Housing Needs: A Policy Primer

Provides an overview of federal rental assistance programs, their scope, and their limitations, with data on recipients by type, region, family income and structure, and race/ethnicity. Outlines policy implications for children and community development

Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets: Phase 3 - Native Americans

This paper documents the results of a pilot paired testing program to examine the treatment of Native Americans by real estate agents in rental housing markets in three states and owner-occupied housing markets in one state. The study finds that the level of discrimination experienced by Native Americans in rental markets exceed those experienced by Hispanics, Blacks, and Asian-Americans.

Assisted Housing Mobility and the Success of Low-Income Minority Families: Lessons for Policy, Practice, and Future Research

Based on results from the Gautreaux desegregation and Moving to Opportunity programs, discusses ways to make assisted housing mobility policies more effective in the long term, including experimenting with target populations and placement areas

Race and Residence: Prospects for Stable Neighborhood Integration

Analyzes changes in the racial composition of large metropolitan neighborhoods from 1990 to 2000, using data from the Neighborhood Change Database