This study examines the long-term outcomes of the
Gautreaux residential mobility program. Using administrative records
provides baseline characteristics on all participants, and the
study located recent addresses for nearly all participants an
average of 17 years after they were originally placed. The results
indicate that most families were placed in middle to high SES
suburbs, and they currently still live in similar areas. We also
find that most low-income black families who are placed in primarily
white suburban neighborhoods did not return to the city, as previous
research might have predicted. Although 84 percent of families
made subsequent moves, even among movers, the racial composition
of current address is strongly related to program placement, even
after controls for family attributes. The results suggest that
residential mobility may alter preferences or structural barriers,
permitting families to follow new courses of action. The results
suggest that residential mobility programs can have long-term
consequences.
Stefanie DeLuca, Department
of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University
James E. Rosenbaum, Human Development and Social Policy,
Northwestern University
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