Longitudinal
Evaluation of Allentown's HOPE VI Project funded through the City of
Allentown's Housing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
On May 17, 2005, the Allentown Housing Authority was
notified that they have received a $20 million HOPE VI Revitalization
grant to demolish and rebuild Hanover Acres and Riverview Terrace public
housing developments and introduce a new mixed- income community (see photos to the right).
A research proposal submitted by ASRC was selected by the City of
Allentown Housing Authority and their consulting group to evaluate this
significant longitudinal project. The HART HOPE VI project
evaluation began early spring 2006 and continues through early spring
2010.
Since May 2006, ASRC has delivered a wide range of qualitative and
quantitative evaluation services for the HART HOPE VI project. Using
a logic model, along with indicators for both outputs and outcomes, ASRC
has collected primary and secondary data, as documented its HART HOPE VI
Baseline and Year-One Interim Reports. ASRC continues to design
and/or adapt data collection systems for use throughout the grant term.
Activities related to this ongoing process evaluation generate actionable
items to AHA on improvement of service delivery and other organizational
systems. As the project proceeds, data collection will focus on
assessment of outcomes and impact through a comparison of later year
results against baseline measurements.
One part of the HART HOPE
VI evaluation is to measure two sets of indicators: socioeconomic and market-related (see
below photos). Crucial to this evaluation is a
description of the status of HART residents at baseline, prior to their
relocation. ASRC also will place these socioeconomic and
market-related indicators among residents, neighborhoods and surrounding
community within a context of HOPE VI decision-making among AHA
administration and its stakeholders.
HOPE VI Investigative Foci
The ongoing HART
HOPE VI evaluation provided by ASRC is designed to address the following seven
areas:
- Impact of the HOPE VI
effort on the lives of existing HART residents.
- Nature and extent of
economic development generated in the community.
- Effect of the
revitalization effort on residents and neighborhood.
- Effect of the
revitalization effort on surrounding communities, including spillover
revitalization activities, property values, etc.
- Success of the AHA at
integrating the physical and social aspects of the HOPE VI
revitalization strategy, and achieving the goals identified by AHA in
its revitalization plan.
- Collection and analysis
of process measures – evaluating the operations of the project.
- Presentation of on-going
feedback to the program to allow the program to use the evaluation
findings (both outcome and process) to meet its goals and objectives.
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Aerial View of Hanover
Acres (Post-Demolition), 8/6/06
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Aerial View of Hanover Acres (New Construction), 9/27/07
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Socioeconomic Indicators
- population growth
- ethnic and racial composition
- percentage of children
- educational achievement levels
- per capita income
- rate of unemployment
- public assistance income
- income mix
Market Indicators
- residential lending rates
- property values
- housing vacancy rates
- available housing units
- crime rates
- small business lending rates
- market investment perceptions
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