Text Box: History of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

1934 Housing Act establishes Federal Housing Administration to insure mortgages and make loans to low-income families; Fannie Mae created.

1937 Housing Act establishes public housing.

1944 Serviceman’s Readjustment Act creates Veteran Administration mortgages; trend toward suburbia begins.

Late 1950s Urban renewal begins; slum clearance developed to promote construction of affordable housing.

1965 Department of Housing and Urban Development created.

1968 Model Cities program launched; fair housing launched through the Civil Rights Act.

1971 Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act passed.

1974 Section 8 rental subsidy program begins; Community Development Block Grant program begins.

1977 Urban Development Action Grants begin.

1986 Low-income housing tax credit created.

1987 McKinney Homeless Assistance Act passed; creation of low-income housing tax credit.

1991–1994 Public housing inspection for lead paint.

1992 Residential Lead Hazard Reduction Act passed (Title X of the 1992 Housing and Community Development Act).

1993 Hope VI program begins to redevelop old public housing.

1996 Lead-based paint disclosure becomes law.

1999 HUD and CDC launch the Healthy Homes Initiative.

2000 HUD publishes new lead paint regulations for federally funded assisted housing; President’s Task Force releases federal interagency plan to eliminate childhood lead paint poisoning by 2010.

2001 EPA publishes final standards for lead in paint, dust, and soil in housing.