Federal Government Policies and the “Housing Quotient” of Black American Families

The “housing quotient”—the condition of and access to housing—is defined for black American families and is examined in conjunction with the major relevant federal policies and programs. Policies considered include fair housing and the national urban policy. Programs examined include public housing and rental assistance. The lack of data constrains the completeness of the analysis, although certain programs seem to enroll blacks in disproportion to the rest of the population. The paper concludes that blacks currently are served by all federal programs, even though many programs historically have failed to live up to their potential to assist blacks.