This case study deals with the economic status of Public Housing (PHA) and Tax Credit residents living in a HOPE VI revitalized community in Akron Ohio. The research measures residents' self-reliance, using the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Summit County Ohio (Pearce 2008). Self-sufficiency is a term identified as a goal in several entitlement programs to include the Housing of Urban Development, HOPE VI Program. This descriptive/exploratory case study examined residents' earnings, family composition, education, the number and types of public supports they receive, and family history, to identify the appropriate data and research methodology to use to determine, residents' gains towards self-reliance.
This study examined one primary question; are the residents living in Edgewood Village making gains towards self-sufficiency? In addition, this research asked the following sub-questions:
a) Are residents living in the new development showing increased levels of education?
b) Are family sizes stable for these residents?
c) Have residents increased their income?
d) What are impediments to achieving self-sufficiency?