ABSTRACT
The 1974 shift from special-purpose categorical programs for inner-city improvement to a general block grant to localities with relatively few strings attached was a major Housing and Urban Development (HUD) policy change. George Romney was convinced that production and management of housing should be separated in HUD, just as marketing and production are separated in industry. He was convinced that HUD's field offices should be multiplied and given increased discretion, just as industry encourages franchises and dealerships in many locations. The objectives of Romney, Condon, and his associates were admirable—they all desired effective service to the public. Albert Cole, a defeated four-term Kansas congressman with a record of consistent opposition to public housing, urban renewal, and many other housing programs, was appointed Housing and Home Finance Agency administrator by President Eisenhower shortly after he was elected president. Federal Housing Administration took responsibility for administering subsidized programs to provide housing for families of moderate income and later for the very poor.
