United States Housing Authority

United States history

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July 14, 2026

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The United States Housing Authority (USHA) was established in 1937 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Its primary goal was to provide affordable housing for the working poor in cities and to clear and renew slum areas. The USHA funded local housing authorities that planned, built, and managed public housing projects, often large apartment complexes.12

While intended to offer support, public housing projects quickly gained a reputation for being poorly maintained and crime-ridden, partly due to the racial and economic segregation they sometimes enforced. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), established in 1934, also played a significant role in housing finance, insuring mortgages and encouraging homeownership, though its practices initially excluded minorities and contributed to segregation through redlining. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was later established in 1965 to oversee housing and community development programs.213

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United States
The culmination of the New Deal
The U.S. Housing Authority was created in 1937 to provide low-cost public housing. In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act established a minimum wage and a maximum work week. Otherwise, the president seldom got what he asked for.
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The U.S. Housing Authority was created in 1937 to provide low-cost public housing. In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act established a minimum wage and a maximum work week. Otherwise, the president seldom got what he asked for.
Read More