Description:

Title: "Creating Moves to Opportunity: Mixed Methods Evidence on Barriers to Neighborhood Choice"

By Stefanie DeLuca, IPR Visiting Scholar, May 2025

Abstract: Low-income families often live in neighborhoods with fewer opportunities to get ahead, even when they have housing vouchers that would allow them to move to neighborhoods with more potential for upward mobility. In this IPR colloquium, Johns Hopkins sociologist Stefanie DeLuca will explore why through two randomized trials. In the first, housing voucher recipients were given information, financial support, and customized search assistance to move to higher-opportunity neighborhoods. The treatment increased the share of those moving to high-upward-mobility areas from 15% to 53%. The second randomized trial reveals that customized support and search assistance were the primary drivers of this increase. Qualitative interviews done in both randomized trials show that the intervention increased families' optimism about new neighborhoods and housing, eased demands on families’ time and attention, and addressed their specific needs. Her findings imply that many low-income families do not necessarily prefer to stay in low-opportunity areas and that barriers to housing searches significantly increase residential segregation by income.

About IPR’s Visiting Scholars Program

The program brings exceptional researchers to Northwestern for short residencies that foster collaboration and intellectual exchange with IPR faculty and students.

This event is part of the Fay Lomax Cook Spring 2025 Colloquium Series, where our researchers from around the University share their latest policy-relevant research.

Please note all colloquia this quarter will be held in-person only.