HOUSING 1. Introduction a. Few words about definitions: They change, society changes its thinking and we are in a constant state of renewal and evolution in terms of our ideas, ideals, and policies. i. Public Housing ii. Public Private Housing iii. Worthy/unworthy Poor 2. Thesis a. public housing has been approached in a manner that is reflective of the changing perceptions of the “worthy poor”, rather than as a considered and calculated theory based on facts. b. I will look at how the approach to public housing changed during various social reform movements. 3. Walk through colonial times to 1930’s a. Elizabethan Poor law (worthy and unworthy poor) b. As American population grew, so did the problem of supporting the needy (Almshouses/workhouses) c. Post Revolution Changes i. Rapid industrialization ii. Rapid industrialization iii. Growing number of immigrants iv. Larger numbers living in the cities d. Charity organization movement i. First real documentation of the situation and the root causes for poverty 4. FDR & The New Deal a. Bauer & Wood – creation of a housing division within the Public Works Administration i. Federally funded, low interest loans to corporations to build affordable housing for the “submerged middle class” ii. Failed due to a lack of qualifying corporations to do the building and the resulting rent still being above the level affordable to a low income family. iii. So PWA starts building directly instead of funding building. They make low-rise landscaped housing. iv. Still fails, because rent is still out of reach for those they are trying to help. 5. National Housing Act of 1934 a. Federal Housing Administration i. Mortgage insurance 6. The Housing Act of 1937 a. Bauer & Wagner b. Creates US Housing Authority – appoint Strauss to head c. One unit built for each torn down d. Based rent on a percent of income and capped that percentage e. Progress here was slow and limited first by the process alone of getting states and local authorities to cooperate in meeting the qualifications, and later slowed even further by The Great Recession, 1938 and again by funding switching over to war production around 1940 7. During WWII a. Strauss switched from building a few good units, to making large numbers of industrial style modular homes. b. Commitment to clearing existing housing in condemnable condition, gave the power to local authorities to decide which sites to condemn continued segregation and collecting the poor together in less than ideal housing. 8. Post WWII a. Housing Act of 1949 – different because instead of being about public housing, it was about re-balancing the power between the private and public sector. 9. Eisenhower & Housing Act of 1954 a. Public Housing is pushed aside in favor of Urban renewal. 10. Housing Acts of 1959 - 1968 a. Greatly increased funding and availability to the elderly, though still in the form of high rises b. Fair Housing Law of 1968 Lyndon Johnson is known for his “war on pover ...

1. HOUSING
1. Introduction
a. Few words about definitions: They change, society changes
its thinking and we are in a constant state of renewal and
evolution in terms of our ideas, ideals, and policies.
i. Public Housing
ii. Public Private Housing
iii. Worthy/unworthy Poor
2. Thesis
a. public housing has been approached in a manner that is
reflective of the changing perceptions of the “worthy poor”,
rather than as a considered and calculated theory based on facts.
b. I will look at how the approach to public housing changed
during various social reform movements.
3. Walk through colonial times to 1930’s
a. Elizabethan Poor law (worthy and unworthy poor)
b. As American population grew, so did the problem of
supporting the needy
(Almshouses/workhouses)
c. Post Revolution Changes
i. Rapid industrialization
ii. Rapid industrialization
iii. Growing number of immigrants
iv. Larger numbers living in the cities
d. Charity organization movement
i. First real documentation of the situation and the root causes
for poverty
4. FDR & The New Deal
a. Bauer & Wood – creation of a housing division within the
Public Works Administration
i. Federally funded, low interest loans to corporations to build
affordable housing for the “submerged middle class”
ii. Failed due to a lack of qualifying corporations to do the
building and the resulting rent still being above the level

2. affordable to a low income family.
iii. So PWA starts building directly instead of funding building.
They make low-rise landscaped housing.
iv. Still fails, because rent is still out of reach for those they are
trying to help.
5. National Housing Act of 1934
a. Federal Housing Administration
i. Mortgage insurance
6. The Housing Act of 1937
a. Bauer & Wagner
b. Creates US Housing Authority – appoint Strauss to head
c. One unit built for each torn down
d. Based rent on a percent of income and capped that percentage
e. Progress here was slow and limited first by the process alone
of getting states and local authorities to cooperate in meeting
the qualifications, and later slowed even further by The Great
Recession, 1938 and again by funding switching over to war
production around 1940
7. During WWII
a. Strauss switched from building a few good units, to making
large numbers of industrial style modular homes.
b. Commitment to clearing existing housing in condemnable
condition, gave the power to local authorities to decide which
sites to condemn continued segregation and collecting the poor
together in less than ideal housing.
8. Post WWII
a. Housing Act of 1949 – different because instead of being
about public housing, it was about re-balancing the power
between the private and public sector.
9. Eisenhower & Housing Act of 1954
a. Public Housing is pushed aside in favor of Urban renewal.
10. Housing Acts of 1959 - 1968
a. Greatly increased funding and availability to the elderly,
though still in the form of high rises
b. Fair Housing Law of 1968 Lyndon Johnson is known for his
“war on poverty” policies, which moved away from public

3. housing and supported private home building and mortgage
protection for low income families.
11. Nixon’s election in 1968 signaled a shift away from the New
Deal policies, and a more conservative approach became
apparent. By 1973 he had frozen all funding for new public
housing construction except for the elderly.
12. As the 70’s and 80’s passed, public housing has continued
to decline, but mortgage insurance has continued to grow.
13. Current thinking and trends
14. Conclusion
a. Public housing from almshouses to high rise project style
units has never gotten past the complications of prejudice.
b. So how do we effect change in this area?
i. Continue assistance, to a sometimes reluctant population.
Homeless shelters and church run soup kitchens help, but there
isn’t nearly enough to cover the need.
ii. Stop and weed out legislation aimed at making the homeless
disappear from public view in order to raise property taxes.
iii. Protect homeless rights to be unmolested, to receive aid
without prejudice, and to offer them many small temporary
opportunities instead of looking for them to enter a long term
program and see it through.
iv. Be aware of the need for mental healthcare, general wellness
healthcare, access to medication, and that there are places to go
when it is too cold, too hot or too dangerous for them to be
outdoors.
Works Cited
Needs to identity sources used for this outline…