Since the early 1980s, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been shifting the focus of its programs from "supply-side" subsidies to developers to "demand-side" assistance provided to renters. At the same time, it has been rebuilding public housing through HOPE VI and Comprehensive Grants. This shift reflects a desire to reduce costs associated with housing subsidies. The change in approach is also intended to reduce concentrations of inner-city poverty and to enhance consumer choice, thereby enabling renters to move into better homes and neighborhoods. The policy shift seeks to ensure that low-income, inner-city families have access to affordable housing opportunities throughout their metropolitan areas. As existing contracts expire on project-based programs and as public housing moves away from a project-based system, more and more low-income households will receive portable subsidies.

This report is part of the collection of scanned historical documents available to the public.