We’ve seen the power of affordable housing to transform lives, especially mixed-income housing. At River West alone, we’ve witnessed:
- A $20,000+ increase in average annual household income
- A 500% increase in residents engaged in workforce training
- A 50% increase in households with health insurance
Those outcomes are the result of intentional investment in mixed-income communities, and they’re just the beginning of lifetime results for children raised there.
That’s according to research by Dr. Raj Chetty, a director of Opportunity Insights at Harvard University. Dr. Chetty and his colleagues have shared data-driven insights into just how much opportunity can come from investment in mixed-income communities in their report, “Creating High-Opportunity Neighborhoods: Evidence from the Hope VI Program.”
Hope VI was a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was the first iteration of HUD’s current Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. Tulsa is one of two cities to have two active CNI projects, the first at River West and the second at 36N.
Dr. Chetty’s research revealed the incredible power of neighborhood-based investment, specifically for children. He and his colleagues found that:
- Children who grow up in revitalized neighborhoods earn more as adults, with those born in a revitalized public housing unit earning around 50% more as adults
- Children who moved into revitalized public housing units were 17% more likely to attend college
- Boys who moved into revitalized public housing units were 20% less likely to be incarcerated
These outcomes point to the causal effects on children of growing up in revitalized communities – effects that last a lifetime.
Dr. Chetty’s research makes it clear – investing in communities has a significant impact on the lifetime opportunity for the children who live there.
Tulsa Housing Authority 