ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the reader to the liberal and conservative ideologies regarding government’s rule in the provision of affordable housing to its citizens. It presents three cases depicting how city officials in Clarksville, Tennessee, managed housing and shelter issues. The first case presents the public housing situation in Clarksville. The second case provides an overview of an unsuccessful city-private partnership to sell homes in a subdivision built specifically for individuals with low to moderate incomes. The third case depicts how community collaboration successfully resulted in providing shelter programs for a homeless population. The conservative intellectual movement arose, in part, to counter the liberal policies advocating federal intervention in the nation’s housing and shelter issues. Conservatives believe the housing and shelter needs of citizens should be met by the nonprofit sector, the private sector, community groups, and state and local governments.
