Public housing faces an increasingly uncertain future. The nation’s oldest rental housing assistance program has been an important source of permanent affordable housing for families with very low incomes, people with disabilities, and older adults since its inception in 1937. But after decades of inadequate funding and oversight, the public housing program faces urgent challenges that threaten the nation’s ability to continue to provide deeply subsidized housing amid a growing affordable housing crisis. Many public housing developments are aging, deteriorating, and in acute need of rehabilitation. Because of a combination of factors—including unit deterioration, HOPE IV demolitions, and project-based rental assistance programs—the number of public housing units and deeply subsidized units have declined in recent years. There is an urgent need for substantial federal investment to revitalize the remaining stock and keep it operational for very low–income tenants and to increase the amount of assistance overall.

The Urban Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities invite you to join a discussion with federal officials and public housing leaders to reflect on the past, present, and future of public housing. During this event, speakers will review decades of policies that have shaped the public housing program, discuss the ways public housing authority leaders are navigating and innovating with chronic underfunding, and explore future directions for public housing and preservation of deeply subsidized housing.

Speakers

• Peggy Bailey, Vice President for Housing and Income Security, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Lisa Bova-Hiatt, CEO, New York City Housing Authority
• Thomas Davis, Director, Office of Recapitalization, US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Will Fischer, Senior Director of Housing Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Michael Johnston, Executive Director, Cambridge Housing Authority
• Ivory Mathews, CEO, Home Forward
• Marianne Nazzaro, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Public Housing Investments, US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Susan J. Popkin, Institute Fellow and Codirector, Disability Equity Policy Initiative, Urban Institute
• Janneke Ratcliffe, Vice President for Housing Finance Policy and Interim Vice President for Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy, Urban Institute

Support for this event is provided by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. For more on Urban’s funding policies, go to urban.org/about/organizational-principles.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. Please email [email protected] if you require any accommodations or have any questions about this event.