Moving to Opportunity Demonstration: A Randomized Study of Mobility

This recently completed project was a collaboration among NCCF researchers and economists at Harvard and Princeton Universities. NCCF researchers conducted in-home interviews with nearly 800 families with children ages 3 to 18 in the New York metropolitan area, approximately three years after they had moved. The benefits of better neighborhoods - social networks, resource referrals, job channels, child care, and surveillance systems for mothers - emerged, as well as the challenges experienced by families in adapting to the move. This work produced valuable information for researchers, community leaders, and policy makers on the ways in which neighborhood resources and family resources intersect to provide or impede opportunities for families.

Additional Project Information: " Neighborhood Poverty and Public Policy: A 5-Year Follow-Up of Children's Outcomes in the New York City Moving to Opportunity Demonstration Project ," in Developmental Psychology (Vol. 41, Issue 6), provides research findings for this project. The article was authored by Tama Leventhal, Rebecca Fauth, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn.

Also see: Video clips of project researchers Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Tama Leventhal discuss how moving from impoverished neighborhoods can affect children and families.

Funding Sources: Russell Sage Foundation; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Contact: Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D.

Current Neighborhood/Community Projects

Completed Neighborhood/Community Projects