Public Housing: Easy to Get In, Hard to Get Out

Public housing was built to make up for what the market didn't provide: decent housing for working class people. It was designed with the idea that if you give working families a safe place to live where the rent isn't their whole paycheck, they'll use that housing like a stepping stone into the middle class.

But today, the words "public housing" have become synonymous with the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Families move in, and very often they don't move out. Sometimes, the children of public housing families get their own unit when they turn 18 and have kids of their own.

If your home was surrounded by violence, drug dealing and crime, with lousy schools and little access to jobs, why would you stay so long? Well, there's actually a lot of good reasons. Take a look at this video, chronicling a Richmond mother's fight to leave public housing.

Here's the thing about income-based rent. As soon as your income goes up, so does your rent. So all that extra money you made and wanted to put away for a rainy day? Sorry, buddy. It's going to pay the bills.

There's lots of help to get into public housing, and very little help to get out, as both Tonya and the Richmond housing official noted. We assume our most vulnerable families are going to know what to do to move forward. Meanwhile, every year they live there, they become more at home. They know their neighbors, the schools, the stores. Who to hang out with and who to avoid. And as they say, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. So many families get stuck, never intending to stay, but not exactly determined to leave either.

We should applaud this mother for her efforts, but also realize that not every child is born to such a determined parent. Public housing needs to be safe, efficient and decent for those who need to live there, but we also need resources for those who are ready to make that transition out.

That doesn't necessarily mean government resources. It could mean accountants and financial advisers who are willing to volunteer to help families set a budget and reduce their debt. Human resources people who could help revise resumes or college entrance essays. Teachers and professionals able to help adults study for their GED or tutor kids after school. Banks that are willing to match a portion of savings for low-income families. Churches that can help families find decent housing and help pay security deposits or provide used furniture for families trying to make a new home. Even someone who has no money or professional help to offer can be a listening ear, an encourager and a support system when families are struggling to make their way.

If we want these families to succeed, it's not enough for us to dump them in public housing. We have to also provide the resources they need to make their climb up and out.

Photo credit: Megan Cottrell