"HOPE SF"? The Case for a Public Housing Bond

It used to be that the federal government through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided grants to local communities to assist in revitalizing deteriorating public housing stock that was originally constructed in the 50s and 60s. Throughout the country, cities were facing problems with housing that had fallen into serious disrepair from a combination of aging and years of deferred maintenance. These buildings were in such poor condition that aggressive repairs alone would not make them habitable in the long term.

Major structural improvements were needed since these properties were not built to be sustainable for so many years. Many of these original public housing projects were also large in scale, geographically isolated from the rest of the city and were dense in population.

Many were poorly designed high rises where poverty became increasingly concentrated and crime flourished. Recognizing the problem, Congress developed the HOPE VI program in 1993. HOPE VI gave millions of dollars to cities that were than able to rebuild severely distressed housing. San Francisco was able to use $118.5 million in HOPE VI funds, combined with other sources, to rebuild 1,253 units at 5 sites.

Public housing developments in the Western Addition (Hayes Valley and Plaza East), North Beach, and the Mission (Bernal Dwellings and Valencia Gardens) were rebuilt. It is a very different time than in 1993. Consistent with their agenda to devolve federal funding to local governments, to encourage privatization and to reduce the role of the federal government in housing programs, the Bush administration has taken an axe to the HOPE VI program.

More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4223#more