HOPE VI and St. Thomas: A Case Study Public Housing Programs

The current trend to rejuvenate public housing in the United States poses both challenges and opportunities for low-income residents. Over the years, strategies have been devised to remedy physical and social problems associated with public housing. The goal of HOPE VI is to revitalize severely distressed urban areas, and to improve the lives of residents residing within public housing. Some have argued that the program has given greater attention to both physical and economic revitalization with less concern for the social welfare of public housing residents. In its operation of over ten years, the HOPE VI program has met its goals of demolishing severely distressed public housing units and transforming them into revitalized housing; but in terms of resident welfare, HOPE VI has failed to adequately address the underlying causes of poverty and social mobility affecting the nations low- income residents.