Who Uses Public Housing? It's NOT Who You Might Think Facts You Should Know About Public Housing The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers Federal aid to local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to provide decent shelter for low-income residents at rents they can afford. Local PHAs own and operate low-income public housing developments. HUD furnishes technical and professional assistance in planning, developing and managing these developments. But who are living in the these public housing developments? The facts do not support some commonly held beliefs about the people who live in public housing and the agencies that serve them. The chart below summarizes key characteristics of public housing residents and developments. The following pages present in greater detail the facts about the people we serve in public housing. Here are some facts about the people served in public housing: FACT: Elderly and Disabled Comprise Nearly Half of All Public Housing Households Public housing is a valuable source of housing for the most vulnerable elderly and disabled populations in our society. Elderly and disabled households without children account for 43% of all public housing households. This percentage does not include elderly and disabled households who also have dependent children. Less than one fifth of all public housing households have three or more children. FACT: The Main Source of Household Income is Not from Public Assistance Two thirds of public housing households obtain their primary source of income from wages, social security, and pensions. Wage earners have a much higher income than other public housing households, but this is still not enough to boost many of these hard working families out of poverty. Conventional Public Housing Total Number of Households 1,250,000 Average Household Size 2.4 Race/Ethnicity of Household White Non-Hispanic 37 % Black Non-Hispanic 47 % Hispanic 13 % Asian 3 % Native American 1% Age of Household Head Under 25 7% Household Composition Families with Children 49% Elderly 34 % Disabled 9 % Other 8 % Median Household Income $9,500 Average Household Monthly Rent $169 Number of Public Housing Developments 13,741 Source: Tenant data from: "Characteristics of Households in Public Assisted Housing." PD&R Recent Research Results. HUD, December 1995. Public Housing development data from HUD System for Management Information --Retrieval Public Housing, September 1995. FACT: Public Housing is a Transitional Source of Housing for a Large Porition of Residents 40% of public housing residents stay only 0-3 years. The median length of stay is 4 years. 71% of residents remain in public housing for 10 years or less-- they do not stay in public housing forever. Many residents of public housing are elderly and disabled. Programs designed to increase job training and educational opportunitites can boost these families toward self-sufficiency and help reduce the amount of time needed for assistance in public housing. The Welfare reform bill has actually increased the number of federal and state retraining programs. FACT: The Vast Majority of Public Housing Agencies Manage Their Developments Exceedingly Well The Public Housing Management Assessment Program (PHMAP) was developed by HUD to conduct yearly assessments of public housing agencies in all major areas of management operations. PHMAP is used to designate high-performing, standard, troubled, and modernization-troubled PHAs and to aid these agencies in improving their services to public housing residents. Only 3 percent of public housing agencies are designated as "troubled." Of these few agencies designated troubled, 13 are large housing agencies which account for less than 1 percent of all agencies. Other Highlights: HUD's Office of Public Housing is responsible for five million subsidized housing units, with 11 million people. A quarter of households are wage earners. The average income of subsidized households is $9,500 per year, and 17% have incomes below $5,000. Most projects have a moderate income mix. A third of households are elderly. Over half are minorities. Two fifths include a single adult with children. Subsidized households have been in their subsidy program for 6 years on average, and recent arrivals averaged 1 3/4 years (21 months) on the waiting list. The average subsidized unit is in a neighborhood where one eighth of the neighborhood are subsidized, one quarter are poor, and half are minority. Six sevenths of people in the United States have one or more subsidized housing units in their neighborhood. Most projects and housing agencies are small, but most subsidized units are in the large projects and agencies. While there are problems with public housing, these are the exceptions to Federally supported housing. The majority of public housing residents are truly in need of temporary help. Many are elderly and disabled citizens. With few exceptions, public housing agencies charged with managing these programs are performing well with limited resources and are devising creative ways of delivering services. HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing continues to move forward in serving public housing needs by focusing resources on: revitalizing troubled public housing; providing home ownership opportunities; and creating smaller scale developments with mixed income households. The Office is also involved with addressing crime prevention and security; empowering individuals and communities; and streamlining regulations so that programs are more flexible to local conditions, but maintain Federal accountability.

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