ABSTRACT
The interests of the private real estate industry have been a predominant force throughout its history, though the effort has largely been to influence policy in a way that has kept the government from providing direct competition in the housing market. For many decades, the private sector had no direct role in developing or managing housing for the poor. Housing for the poor was the responsibility of the government. Yet housing policies, including policies about housing the nation’s low-income households, are often about something other than housing. While public housing in the United States has a history of serving the very poorest and most vulnerable households, the policy intentions have never been entirely altruistic. As a large part of the U.S. economy, the stimulation of housing activity has often been used as an economic driver.
