2016 UAA Annual Conference

Historically, U.S. housing policy objectives were to provide “a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.” Beginning in the 1980s, however, these goals were broadened to include the promotion of “self-sufficiency” among public housing residents. Since then, the term “self-sufficiency” has slipped into the titles and objective statements of contemporary housing programs without a clear understanding of (i) what it really means, (ii) the impact of individual versus structural barriers to becoming self-sufficient, and (iii) whether it is a reasonable expectation for many public housing residents. This breakfast roundtable seeks to bring together academics and policy makers from across housing, social work, and workforce development to explore these questions.