Bronx

Home and Away: A Timeline of Public Housing in the United States and New York City

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1934: Depression-era public works money is earmarked for public housing. The New York City Housing Authority is created. 1935: First Houses, the first public housing project in the United States, is dedicated on the Lower East Side. 1937: Housing act co-authored by Senator Robert Wagner of New York creates a permanent role for the federal government in promoting public housing. 1949: Congress calls for more public housing and “slum clearance” to redevelop urban areas.