Effect of Abandoned Housing Interventions on Gun Violence, Perceptions of Safety, and Substance Use in Black Neighborhoods: A Citywide Cluster Randomized Trial (Philadelphia)

Question: Do structural interventions to abandoned houses lead to improvements in health and safety in low-income, Black neighborhoods?

Findings: In this Philadelphia citywide cluster randomized controlled trial of 63 clusters containing 258 abandoned houses and 172 participants, abandoned houses that were remediated showed substantial drops in nearby weapons violations (−8.43%), gun assaults (−13.12%), and to a lesser extent shootings (−6.96%). Substance-related outcomes were not reliably affected by the interventions, and no effect of either intervention was found for perceptions of safety or time outside for nearby residents.

Meaning: Abandoned house remediation was directly linked to reduced gun violence and may be considered in efforts to create safe and healthy communities.

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