Housing Programs, Assisted Populations, and Crime: Guest Editors' Introduction (2013)

The views expressed in this guest editors' introduction are those of the authors and do not represent the official positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The views and recommendations expressed in the symposium articles are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed or supported by the guest editors or HUD.IntroductionThis symposium features rigorous research that objectively examines the relationship between assisted housing populations and crime. We use this symposium to identify and acknowledge the negative findings to more precisely identify their root causes and recommend appropriate policy responses. We also highlight the many positive findings regarding the effect of housing programs on assisted populations and their connection to crime problems. We particularly focus on how housing and criminal justice agencies can work together for a more unified approach to solving the problems assisted populations and their communities face. We hope the research in this symposium prompts more future research efforts to consider integrating knowledge from both criminal justice and housing research toward refining housing programs and policies to improve the quality of life with housing as a platform.The articles presented in this symposium are a dichotomy of individual and neighborhood issues. The first three articles highlight crime issues related to individuals and families for whom program policies make it more difficult to obtain assisted housing. Two main themes are present in these articles. First, the articles show that assisted populations face a series of barriers-perceived or actual-regarding their involvement with crime that prevent them from taking full advantage of housing assistance. Second, the articles demonstrate that little research exists that tests the effect of housing as a platform to help those who have in one way or another been exposed to crime or are involved with the criminal justice system.The latter three articles highlight the intersection of people and place, in which place of origin may transmit the message that the family moving in is an unwanted neighbor. Two main themes also emerge from these articles. First, publicly assisted families carry a stigma of being undesirable people who will likely cause problems, which create barriers to successful relocation. Second, even when families have the opportunity to relocate, they can have difficulty finding better neighborhoods, particularly when trying to find safer places to live.Several criminological concepts are manifest across all these articles that may be unfamiliar to Cityscape readers. Criminology provides more than 30 years of research that can contribute to improving the understanding of crime and neighborhoods regarding the problems assisted households encounter. We highlight key research from criminology and criminal justice associated with each article that Cityscape readers may want to review in thinking about future studies or crafting policies related to housing programs.People-Program Barriers From Previous ActionsA common perception is that, when assisted families relocate to new neighborhoods, they may bring crime with them (Bovard, 2011; Rosin, 2008). Assisted tenants or their social networks may be perceived as predators who will invade a neighborhood, taking advantage of new opportunities to commit crimes. Much media attention has focused on the possible criminality of assisted tenants. Rarely, though, have the media or researchers focused on the degree to which assisted tenants are crime victims. In their article, Christopher Hayes, Graham McDonald, Susan Popkin, Leah Hendey, and Allison Stolte examine the question of how often assisted housing recipients are arrested for crimes and how often they are crime victims. The authors find that voucher households have higher arrest and victimization rates than the general population. …