Lyndon B. Johnson and the War on Poverty: HUD Housing

On November 22, 1963, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) was sworn in as the 36th President following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Serving from 1963 to January 1969, his presidency would become known for the passing of major legislation and his efforts to turn his vision of a "Great Society" into a reality. Before pursuing his vision, President Johnson fulfilled President Kennedy's goals by continuing to push important legislation that Kennedy had championed prior to his assassination. One of these was the Civil Right Act of 1964.

In his first State of the Union address in January 1964, President Johnson urged Congress to "declare an unconditional war on poverty." On March 16, 1964, in a message to Congress, he again called for a "national war on poverty." In his speech, he spoke of creating "exits from poverty" and striking down "all barriers which keep many from using those exits."

It was during this time that he presented the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to Congress, which would expand and improve certain social programs. The act, which was passed in August 1964, established the Office of Economic Opportunity and programs such as Head Start, the Job Corps, and the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). Medicare and Medicaid, which were amendments to the Social Security Act, are also programs that were started during President Johnson's War on Poverty and are still in use today.

Another area important to both the war on poverty and President Johnson's vision of a Great Society was housing. Many people could not afford the American Dream of owning a home and, in many urban areas, available housing was substandard.

The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965

On August 10, 1965, LBJ signed the Housing and Urban Development Act. During the Rose Garden ceremony, President Johnson stated his belief that it would "become known as the single most valuable housing legislation in our history." The act expanded on federal housing and urban renewal programs from the Housing Act of 1949. It did this by extending mortgage insurance programs, setting minimum housing standards, and the redevelopment of run-down downtown areas.

The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1964 also created a rent-supplement program. The program allowed qualified tenants to pay 25 percent of their income toward rent while the program paid the rest. This help would stop when the tenant could afford to pay for their own housing in its entirety. Qualified tenants included the disabled elderly, people living in substandard housing, families living in homes damaged by a natural disaster, and people displaced by a public improvement program.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

In the 1960s, there were several housing and community development agencies that dated back to the 1930s. They included the Public Housing Administration, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Housing Administration, the Urban Renewal Administration, and the Community Facilities Administration. This resulted in the creation of HUD or the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which President Johnson signed into law on September 9, 1965, just four weeks after he signed the Housing and Urban Development Act. To run this cabinet-level program, the President appointed Robert C. Weaver as the first African-American Cabinet Member and the first secretary of HUD.

The creation of HUD led to the consolidation of the five agencies so that they could better strengthen the housing market and address the housing needs of the American people. The goal was to make fair access to affordable housing available to more people. Despite significant resistance, particularly from conservatives, HUD has since provided housing assistance to millions. It has aided in community development and helped to produce affordable housing. It has also created leased housing programs to give low-income families a shot at privately owned housing.