Housing Act of 1937
Long title | An Act to provide financial assistance to the States and political subdivisions thereof for the elimination of unsafe and insanitary housing conditions, for the eradication of slums, for the provision of decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings for families of low income, and for the reduction of unemployment and the stimulation of business activity, to create a United States Housing Authority, and for other purposes. |
---|---|
Enacted by | the 75th United States Congress |
Effective | September 1, 1937 |
Citations | |
Public law | 75-412 |
Statutes at Large | 50 Stat. 888 |
Legislative history | |
|
The Housing Act of 1937 (
The act created the
The sponsoring legislators were Representative Henry B. Steagall, Democrat of Alabama, and Senator Robert F. Wagner, Democrat of New York.
Although initially controversial, it gained acceptance and provisions of the Act have remained, but in amended form.
Actions
The Housing Act of 1937 sought to eliminate what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt described as "habitations which not only fail to provide the physical benefits of modern civilization but breed disease and impair the health of future generations."[1] The legislation outlined four goals: providing housing, renewing existing living areas, decreasing density and the construction of sustainable communities.[2] In order to deflect accusations of socialism and to protect private developers from competition, the act required the demolition of the same number of units of housing as would be built. Furthermore, it severely restricted the income of people who could reside in the new housing.[3] It also limited the amount that could be spent to build the housing to $5000 per unit, which was very low even at that time. These construction projects were carried out by local housing authorities with the federal government providing the funding. Between 1939 and 1943, 160,000 units were constructed. Only 10,000 more units were constructed by 1948.[4]
Outcomes
While the Housing Act of 1937 looked to solve American housing issues, it became marred by inequalities and problems. The main problem that rose from the legislation was the power given to the local governments. The Federal government let the local governments and voters decided on where and how to use the federal funding. This led to local governments maintaining segregationist housing policies as well as allowing many public housing locations to become neglected.[5]
Major amendments
The
The
In 1998, the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act (QHWRA) was passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton. Following the frame of
See also
- Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974
- Subsidized housing in the United States
- Urban Renewal
References
- ^ "FDR and Housing Legislation". Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. n.d. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "US Housing Act of 1937, As Amended" (PDF). U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. n.d. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ McCarty, Maggie (January 3, 2014). "Introduction to Public Housing" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. 7-5700; R41654. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ISSN 2090-4185. 985264.
- ^ "1937: Housing Act (Wagner-Steagall Act)". Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston. n.d. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "A Brief History of HUD". HUD Archives. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ 88 Stat. 662
- ^ "Our Story". National Institute of Building Sciences. n.d. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "United States Housing Act of 1937 as Amended by the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 as of 3/2/19991" (PDF). U.S. House Committee on Financial Services. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- JSTOR 20868632.
- ^ "Guidance on Complying With the Maximum Number of Units Eligible for Operating Subsidy Pursuant to Section 9(g)(3)(A) of the Housing Act of 1937 (aka the Faircloth Limit)" (PDF). United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. n.d. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
Further reading
- Allen, Ryan, and David Van Riper. "The new deal, the deserving poor, and the first public housing residents in New York City." Social Science History 44.1 (2020): 91–115.
- Clement, Bell. "Wagner-Steagall and the DC Alley Dwelling Authority: A Bid for Housing-Centered Urban Redevelopment, 1934–1946." Journal of the American Planning Association 78.4 (2012): 434–448.
- Heathcott, Joseph. "The strange career of public housing: Policy, planning, and the American metropolis in the twentieth century." Journal of the American Planning Association 78.4 (2012): 360–375.
- Hunt, Bradford D., “Was the 1937 U.S. Housing Act a Pyrrhic Victory?” Journal of Planning History 4, no. 3 (2005): 195–221.
- Radford, Gail, "Modern Housing for America: Policy Struggles in the New Deal Era" (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996).
- Vale, Lawrence J., "From the Puritans to the Projects: Public Housing and Public Neighbors" (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Press, 2000).
- Vale, Lawrence J., “Reclaiming Public Housing: A Half Century of Struggle in Three Public Neighborhoods” (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Press, 2002).
- von Hoffman, Alexander. "The lost history of urban renewal." Journal of Urbanism 1.3 (2008): 281–301. [1]
- Wurster, Catherine Bauer, "Modern Housing," (Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1934).
External links
- As codified in 42 USC chapter 8 of the United States Code from LII
- United States Housing Act of 1937 as amended (PDF/details) in the GPO Statute Compilations collection