The housing crisis in the United States has reached a breaking point, with skyrocketing rents and rising homelessness. However, this issue is not new and has its roots in the 1950s and 1960s when American cities were grappling with rapid urban decline, segregated and substandard housing, and the fallout of highway construction and urban renewal projects that displaced hundreds of thousands of low-income and Black residents.

The Model Cities Program

In response to these challenges, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched the Model Cities Program in 1966 as part of his Great Society agenda. The program aimed to tackle the structural causes of poverty by empowering communities to shape their own futures. It provided federal funding to cities to coordinate housing, education, employment, healthcare, and social services at the neighborhood level.

The program was unique in its emphasis on community participation, requiring cities to include residents in the planning and oversight of local programs. This approach led to the creation of new community organizations and the empowerment of local leaders. For example, in Kansas City, Missouri, the program funded a loan initiative that expanded access to capital for local small businesses.

A Legacy Worth Revisiting

Although the Model Cities Program was phased out in 1974, its legacy lives on. The program trained a generation of civic leaders in community development and inspired later policies such as participatory budgeting and community land trusts. As the United States continues to grapple with housing inequality and urban poverty, the Model Cities Program serves as a reminder of the importance of community-led solutions and the need for a more holistic approach to addressing these complex issues.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.