In preparation for the documentary, Potomac Gardens Inside and Out, Grassroots DC conducted a survey of individuals who live both inside Potomac Gardens and individuals who live in the market-rate housing surrounding the property. Generally speaking, we were hoping to find out the following:

• What residents knew about their neighbors either inside or outside of Potomac Gardens
• How they felt about the neighborhood in general
• Their feelings about Potomac Gardens in particular
• Their hopes for the future of the property and the surrounding neighborhood.

Between January and June 2014, we interviewed 20 residents living inside Potomac Gardens and 25 residents living on the blocks immediately outside of Potomac Gardens. In order to insure that the survey was random, we chose every third, fourth or sixth house depending on how far away they were from Potomac Gardens itself. Keeping the survey random was important. By giving every type of person in the neighborhood an equal chance of having their views recorded, the results of the survey can be generalized to the entire community. Based on this principle, we use percentages to predict how those who weren’t surveyed would have responded.

If you live within the Potomac Gardens Public Housing Complex or in the blocks surrounding it (specifically within the ANC 6B zone) we’d very much like for you to take the survey. The results of this self-selected survey will be tabulated separately and compared to the original random survey.

Conducting the survey took longer than we intended not because folks weren’t willing to participate but because we struggled to catch them at home. Very few residents either inside or outside of Potomac Gardens who answered the door, refused to take the survey. The survey itself took 20-30 minutes to complete. Sometimes it took longer because we got distracted by the fascinating discussions.

The results of survey questions can be found on the pages linked below. Question number three—Before you moved here, what did you imagine it would be like—was not included because it asks for the respondent’s personal thoughts on a question and thus could not be easily quantified.

1.  When did you move to your current residents?

2. Did you move here from another location in Washington, DC?

3. Before you moved here, what did you imagine it would be like?  Is not linked here because results are not quantifiable.

4.  What do you like most about the neighborhood?

5. I am going to list some items about the neighborhood.  For each item, tell me whether the item is a major problem to you, a minor problem to you, or not a problem.

6.  In the past two years, have you participated in any of the following?

7a. Would you agree with the statement, “Potomac Gardens is like any other apartment complex?”

7c. Would you agree with the statement, “Potomac Gardens is attracting negative elements?”

8. How do Potomac Gardens residents interact with their neighbors?

9. How do residents who live outside of Potomac Gardens interact with their neighbors?

10.  I’m going to list items that are worries for some people and not for others.  For each of these, tell me whether the item is a major worry for you, a minor worry, or not a worry for you.