HOPE VI

HOPE VI

Prof. David Shulman, Prof. W. Mark Crain, Prof. Jamila Bookwala, and Student Lorna McGonagal

The Meyner Center was commissioned by the Housing Authority of Easton (HACE) in 2007 to provide an in-depth evaluation of its redevelopment of the Delaware Terrace/Annex housing project in Easton under a $20 million HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Center’s four-year analysis is measuring and analyzing accomplishment of the program’s goals as well as the experiences of the Delaware Terrace/Annex’s former residents and the program’s impacts on neighborhoods surrounding this revitalization effort.  As part of this revitalization project, HACE will demolish all 250 existing dwelling units in the Delaware Terrace/Annex housing project and build approximately 96 rental units and 48 homes for individual ownership.  The project is intended to eliminate the poor quality of housing and neighborhood conditions in the south-side area and to improve the quality of life for Delaware Terrace/Annex residents and others in the adjoining neighborhood.

The Meyner Center’s evaluation team includes:

  • Dr. Jamila Bookwala, Associate Professor of Psychology, who specializes in social relationships, stress, and health during the middle and late adulthood years.
  • Dr. W. Mark Crain, the William E. Simon Professor of Political Economy, who specializes in econometrics, public finance, and public policy.
  • Dr. John Kincaid, Director of the Meyner Center and the Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service, who specializes in state and local government and federalism.
  • Dr. David H. P. Shulman, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, who specializes in quantitative and qualitative research methodology and organizational analysis.
  • Student research assistants.

Together, the team will:

  1. Evaluate the needs of Delaware Terrace/Annex’s original residents in the early stages of the relocation process of the Easton HOPE VI project;
  2. Assess the effects of the HOPE VI project on the quality of life of the Delaware Terrace/Annex original residents and re-occupants;
  3. Assess the social and economic impact of HOPE VI revitalization efforts on Delaware Terrace/Annex original residents and re-occupants, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the City of Easton;
  4. Evaluate successes in integrating the physical and social aspects of the Easton HOPE VI efforts, and original resident and re-occupant satisfaction with services provided by HACE and others; and
  5. Evaluate the views of HACE staff about the HOPE VI efforts and about how the project is affecting residents.