ON THIS DAY

How HUD Came To Be

When you think of the 1960s, you likely — and rightfully — think of civil rights. Not coincidentally, it was also, arguably, the most important decade for housing legislation, thanks to 1962’s Executive Order 11063, Equal Opportunity in Housing and 1968’s Fair Housing Act. However, the swinging ‘60s’ crowning achievement as it relates to housing may be the creation of the Department of Housing and Development (HUD) under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. A key part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, HUD consolidated various federal agencies to make private housing available to and affordable for low-income Americans. Fast forward a half-century and HUD’s primary programs include administering mortgage and loan insurance, providing grants toward housing rehabilitation, offering rental assistance via Section 8 certificates or vouchers, creating and maintaining public or subsidized housing for low-income individuals and families, assisting the homeless in partnership with non-profit organizations, and conducting education around and enforcing laws related to fair housing.

For more moments in housing history, check out the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® timeline.