Since Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, American housing policy has focused on building homes for the poor. But seventy-five years of federal housing projects have not significantly ameliorated crime, decreased unemployment, or improved health; recent reforms have failed to revitalize low-income neighborhoods or stimulate the economy. To be successful in the twenty-first century, American housing policy must stop reinventing failed programs. Housing Policy at a Crossroads: The Why, How, and Who of Assistance Programs provides a comprehensive survey of past low-income housing programs, including public and subsidized housing, tax credits for developers, and block grants for state and local governments. John C. Weicher's comparative analysis of these programs yields several key conclusions: Affordability, not quality, is the most pressing challenge for housing policy today; of all the housing programs, vouchers have provided the most choice for the poor at the lowest cost to the taxpayer; because vouchers are much less expensive than public or subsidized housing, future subsidized projects would be an inefficient use of resources; vouchers should be offered only to the poorest members of society, ensuring that aid is available to those who need it most. At once a history of housing policy, a guide to issues confronting policymakers, and a case for vouchers as the cheapest, most effective solution, Housing Policy at a Crossroads is a timely warning that reinventing failed building programs would be a very costly wrong turn for America.

This report covers the timeframe from 2013-2015 based on the American Housing Survey (AHS) data that is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. This report provides national data and analysis of the critical problems facing low-income renting families. Households in this report are defined as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid more than one-half their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions or both. Contributing most to the increase in worst case needs between years 2013 and 2015 was a notable shift from home ownership to renting. Modest gains in household incomes were met with rising rents, shrinking supply of affordable housing stock in an increasingly competitive market. This data identifies a worst-case needs household as a family with two children, most often a minority family headed either by a single female or married couple. Municipal and state government personnel within the Housing Authority that offer affordable housing properties to its citizens may be most interested in this data. Additionally, rental property managers and builders, American citizens, policymakers, economic developers and advisors, and community planners may also find this research helpful to their strategic program needs. High school students and above may be interested in the statistical data that includes text, tables, charts representing this population and their needs for the basic necessity of housing to provide primary source materials for research reports and term papers. Related products: 2018 Healthy Homes Calendar available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/2018-health-homes-planner Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, 2012 is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/income-poverty-and-health-insurance-coverage-united-states-2012

Having returned home to deal with her mother's funeral, Kate Rivers is taking stock of her life. She has never married nor had the children she has always wanted. Being an unofficial step-mother to her lover's twin daughters doesn't seem the same.