Privatized Management in Urban Public Housing: A Comparative Analysis of Social Service Availability, Utilization, and Satisfaction

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study that assessed the effect of privatized management on social service availability, utilization, and resident satisfaction in public housing communities. The respondents were heads of household who lived in public housing "projects" in Miami, Florida-more than 90 percent of whom were African American women. A quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent control groups compared respondent data from privately and publicly managed sites. Publicly managed sites reported more availability of social services, but privately managed sites reported higher levels of use. Implications for welfare reform, public housing demolition or renewal policies, the importance of social services with self-sufficiency efforts, and the need for culturally sensitive social work practices in ethnic minority public housing communities are discussed.