If public housing, i.e. housing projects were eliminated from Birmingham would it cut much of the violent crime problem? (Southside: 2014, closing)

[jero23]

Let's have an open discussion on the violent crime issues within the City. I understand what is going on with the violent crime problems associated with portions of the City. However, do you think that if the Birmingham Housing Authority, aka the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) were to eliminate public housing projects at the violent crime problems would be cut significantly? Piggybacked on the discussion, what solutions do you think HABD should provide with affordable housing while eliminating concentrations of poverty which becomes breeding grounds for violent crime?

[mcalumni01]

It would cut down maybe 20%. You can move people from a particular lifestyle but not take that lifestyle out of some. A lot of humans refuse to do better in life. It's so many factors besides where a person live that contributed to crime..People that continue to live in those dwellings wants to live there. They don't have no get up to move out and be better. If they got their life together and move out, then it would be no use for those type of housing..

[MinivanDriver]

I think that it's not quite the right question. To me, the existence of public housing is a necessity, so it's not an either/or kind of proposition.

The real question, in my opinion, should be, "Does the elimination of the old model of public housing eliminate crime?" To me, the answer to that is "Yes." Because the traditional housing project was essentially creating a reservation for poor people rather than keep them integrated with the larger community. Lots of research showed that this misguided policy had an absolute effect on crime.

https://www.clevelandfed.org/newsroo...and-crime.aspx

In that sense, I think we can look at the effect Hope VI had on downtown Birmingham. Before, we had Metropolitan Gardens, which was several city blocks of just terrible poverty. It was a dangerous place, too. Hope VI came along, and the entire downtown area became a good deal safer.

[JesseRohr]

An emphatic yes.

[jero23]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

I think that it's not quite the right question. To me, the existence of public housing is a necessity, so it's not an either/or kind of proposition.

The real question, in my opinion, should be, "Does the elimination of the old model of public housing eliminate crime?" To me, the answer to that is "Yes." Because the traditional housing project was essentially creating a reservation for poor people rather than keep them integrated with the larger community. Lots of research showed that this misguided policy had an absolute effect on crime.

https://www.clevelandfed.org/newsroo...and-crime.aspx

In that sense, I think we can look at the effect Hope VI had on downtown Birmingham. Before, we had Metropolitan Gardens, which was several city blocks of just terrible poverty. It was a dangerous place, too. Hope VI came along, and the entire downtown area became a good deal safer.

After you said this, I wonder what the Southside will look like without Southtown, which is supposed to be closing in the next 12 months?

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by jero23

After you said this, I wonder what the Southside will look like without Southtown, which is supposed to be closing in the next 12 months?

I have no doubt that it will be safer and more dynamic. In addition to the mixed-use development itself, the surrounding area will see a boom in value. Because nobody wants to live cheek-to-jowl with a hotbed of crime and poverty. Not only that, but it gives St. Vincents room to grow.



Again, I do favor public housing. It is a moral requirement. But I think the rethinking of public housing has had positive effects wherever it has occurred.

[jero23]

I would love to see what changes will be yielded when the HABD decides to shift their methodology of how public housing is implemented locally. I think many of the locations of the current public housing projects are extremely underutilized and could be redone as mixed-income, multifamily residential and/or mixed-use developments in the various areas throughout the City. It's a shame that previous leadership of HABD didn't move more briskly on these type of strategies when the HOPE VI program was still in existence because Birmingham could have possibly taken advantage of more opportunities for redevelopment of these areas sooner.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Of course it would.

But would you do with those people? Relocate them to newer housing projects? The crime would remain.

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Of course it would.

But would you do with those people? Relocate them to newer housing projects? The crime would remain.

No. You’d integrate them with mixed income projects as was mentioned before.


Yes, I think it would help.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Of course it would.

But would you do with those people? Relocate them to newer housing projects? The crime would remain.

Actually, there's a considerable body of research that shows that dispersing public housing residents throughout the community lowers crime overall.