Leveraging Resilience: Evidence From the Management of Senior Low-Income Housing

Abstract

Although public and private management approaches have been frequently analyzed for their outcomes along the lines of efficiency and equity, their relationship to fostering community resilience has been understudied. Public housing has undergone a market-based transition, devolving management and operations of its sites or tenants to private management companies. This multi-site case study evaluates different management contexts to understand how management processes encourage or discourage community resilience. Findings include that management can play an integral role in developing community resilience by providing spaces and opportunities for community engagement and resident empowerment. To better navigate in an era of austerity measures, this article recommends practitioners actively leverage and invest in citizen strengths to build more resilient programs.