Moving to Opportunity
Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing (MTO) is a randomized social experiment initiated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the 1990s. Its primary aim was to analyze the impacts of providing housing vouchers to low-income families, enabling them to move from high-poverty public housing projects to low-poverty areas. This initiative was part of broader efforts to combat entrenched ghetto poverty and improve the life chances of affected families.
Background and Purpose
The MTO experiment was launched against the backdrop of persistent poverty and segregated urban neighborhoods in the United States. The central hypothesis was that relocating families to neighborhoods with lower poverty rates would expose them to better housing, education, employment opportunities, and a safer, healthier environment. This, in turn, was expected to result in improved economic and social outcomes.
Execution of the Experiment
The MTO experiment involved 4,600 low-income families with children living in public housing. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups:
- Experimental Group: Received housing vouchers usable only in low-poverty areas along with counseling and assistance in finding housing.
- Section 8 Group: Allowed to use housing vouchers with no geographic restrictions.
- Control Group: Continued to receive existing public housing assistance without vouchers.
Findings and Outcomes
The initial findings of MTO suggested mixed outcomes. Parents who moved to low-poverty areas experienced lower rates of obesity and depression. However, the benefits for children were less clear-cut, with positive behavioral impacts noted among young women but not young men.
In 2015, a study by Harvard economists Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, and Lawrence Katz revisited the long-term results of MTO. This research provided more definitive evidence that relocating to low-poverty areas led to significant economic gains. Children who moved before the age of 13 achieved higher average incomes in adulthood compared to those who did not move.
Implications and Legacy
The MTO experiment has had significant implications for housing policy and the understanding of poverty dynamics. It has informed debates on the effectiveness of housing mobility programs, such as Section 8 housing vouchers, and the broader pursuit of social equity.
Researchers like Jens Ludwig and Lisa Gennetian have continued to explore the long-term effects of MTO, contributing to a growing body of knowledge on the interconnectedness of neighborhood environments and socio-economic outcomes. The work of scholars such as Xavier de Souza Briggs, Susan J. Popkin, and John Goering has also been pivotal in chronicling the story of MTO and its impact on American housing policy.