Impact of age integration on the well-being of elderly tenants in public housing.

The social, psychological, and environmental situations of a national area probability sample of 1875 elderly tenants in 153 public housing sites were studied by means of interviews with tenants and project mangers and direct observation of social and environmental characteristics of the housing. In this report the association between the age mix of the housing and the well-being of the tenants was investigated. With a variety of personal, social, and physical environmental characteristics statistically controlled, age segregation showed small but reliable relationships to on-site activity participation, morale, housing satisfaction, and neighborhood motility. The results are discussed in terms of policy and planning designed to maximize options for the individual.