Description
Book SynopsisThis book discusses barriers from government agencies, housing policies, historic racism and classism, the lived experiences of people that live in public housing, and the relevance of these factors for understanding resident councils and âœformingâ communities in public housing.
Trade ReviewWith an eye for telling detail and an ear for down-to-earth prose, Tiffany Chenault takes us inside the daily politics of a public housing development. We meet the residents, managers and officials whose cross-purposes often hinder community-building among tenants. Chenault pays particular attention to the contradictions between federal policy and local practice, and the semi-tacit stereotypes of blacks and poor people that influence her subjects' approaches to project politics. -- Roberta S. Gold, Author of When Tenants Claimed the City: The Struggle for Citizenship in New York City Housing
Many studies talk about public housing and community engagement but few truly provide a grassroots perspective on what really happens when policies are put into practice. The Unseen Politics of Public Housing is a blistering first-hand account on how local communities make sense of national policies. In giving this account, the book makes a convincing case for agencies to work alongside, rather than against, people. -- Harris Beider, Professor in Community Cohesion, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University
Table of Contents1. Welcome to Rivertown 2. Code for Community Engagement 3. Who’s Leading the Council 4. Rules for Organizing a Council 5. Not Fitting the Public Housing Image: Location and Communication 6. Meeting and Manager Dynamics 7. Policy Recommendations
