HOPE VI - Preston Taylor Evaluation Study

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• MDHA

Evaluation Introduction

It is through an Act of Congress in 1992, and the Urban Revitalization Demonstration Program, URD, latter known as HOPE VI, metropolitan areas all around the country have begun to revitalize public housing through HOPE VI grants. The purpose of the HOPE – VI grant is to transform obsolete, or rundown public housing into attractive, economically viable communities, and to improve the quality of life of the residents through various community and support services programs. The Metropolitan Development & Housing Agency (MDHA) in Nashville is in its second HOPE VI project with Preston Taylor Homes in west Nashville. The office of Business & Economic Research (OBER) at Tennessee State University (TSU), under a contract with MDHA, is in charge of evaluating the HOPE VI program, the project continues through the middle of 2004.

Purpose of Evaluation

The overall purpose of this evaluation is to assess objectively as well as subjectively, as to what extent the HOPE VI grant for revitalization of Preston Taylor Homes has made an overall impact on the residents of Preston Taylor with particular focus on the Preston Taylor Residents (PTR), the Preston Taylor neighborhood, effectiveness of the community support services, overall management of the program, and the impact of homeownership on the Preston Taylor community. As with any evaluation, benchmarking initial conditions are essential. In order to evaluate this vital program, several evaluation criteria on a variety of measures for all the focus areas must first be determined. As an integral part of this evaluation, several key components are examined first: (a) the Preston Taylor Resident Component; (b) the service provider component; (c) Program management component; (d) Neighborhood component; and (e) overall economic and social component.