The Housing of Relocated Families

Abstract

Despite recently improved services and greater concern for families displaced by public action, relocation nonetheless remains an ancillary component of the renewal process. Relocation in this country has not been a rehousing operation (in the British sense of the word), a program whose primary goal is the resettlement of slum families into decent homes. Rather, it is a hurdle that must be overcome in order to effectuate certain land-use changes deemed desirable by the community. Detailed study of the new housing conditions of the population dislocated from Boston's West End and review of 33 other follow-up surveys of housing conditions among relocated families indicate some of the costs and benefits involved. Although the proportion of families living in substandard conditions usually is considerably lower following relocation, substantial. numbers of families continue to live in structurally unsound or overcrowded housing. In addition to the personal disruptions caused by forced relocation, the vast majority of displaced families incur increased housing costs, often of substantial proportions and irrespective of housing improvement or the family's financial capabilities. It appears further that those most likely to benefit by relocation are families already having adequate financial and personal resources, who would probably upgrade their housing voluntarily within a short time. Those with least resources for mobility and for coping with change are most adversely affected by relocation. It is likely, too, that the reports of local public authorities on relocation understate the adverse impact of the relocation process.