Public Housing

Can the largest assisted-housing program be improved?

Introduction

According to the usual stereotype, public housing provides shelter primarily for drug dealers and gang members -- in teeming high-rises where decent tenants live in fear. While many “projects” are indeed troubled, most facilities around the country provide safe, clean and affordable accommodations for nearly a million and a half low-income families. Over the years, however, severe budget cuts and the targeting of apartments to very-low-income families have turned many housing developments into isolated, and racially divided, warehouses for the poor. The Clinton administration is tackling some of the problems head on. It is proposing a new rent structure and expanding on innovative ways to integrate and clean-up the projects or, in some cases, to move tenants into better suburban neighborhoods.

locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles