The impact of privatized management in urban public housing communities: A comparative analysis of perceived crime, neighborhood problems, and personal safety

A quasi-experimental design with equivalent groups assessed the impact of privatized management on crime & personal safety in large public housing communities in Miami, FL. A randomly selected sample (N = 503) of low-income African Americans living in 42 different housing "projects" were surveyed. Privatized sites had greater mean values for break-ins & thefts & vacant apartment usage. Publicly managed sites had higher mean values for shootings & violence. While there were no statistically significant differences in perceived personal safety, publicly managed respondents expressed greater satisfaction with police services. Privatized management did not result in significantly more positive outcomes & social services utilization was associated with less violent crime. Implications are discussed for public housing crime, federal housing policy, & future research. 3 Tables, 56 References. Adapted from the source document.