Housing is more than shelter. It determines our level of physical comfort, to be sure. But the dichotomy between occupant needs, income, and housing costs give housing a greater dimension: it sets our budget for other basic needs. Housing reflects our economic status and serves as a vehicle for communicating our aspirations, creativity, and individual identity. The multiplicity of housing functions establishes housing as the most important element in our lifestyle.

For many, obtaining adequate housing is an unreachable goal. The slum dweller is reconciled to the existence, rather than living, in housing that is a source of despair and loneliness, a reminder of failure, a depressant that does not go away when the working day ends. Even those who can afford the best of shelter discover that money does not always buy the sense of place, stability, and harmony with the natural environment that can be found in viable communities.

The critical factor that sets this frame of mind is that the relationship between income, housing needs, and housing costs is almost a constant over which the individual has little control. It is too late to take back children after you have had them; rents keep pace with wage increases. Proclamations from the government and the design/construction industry that the relationship is improving will not pay the bills.