Housing provides a necessary foundation for physical and social life. It provides shelter, security, recreation, and wealth. It plays a central role in the health and well-being of its occupants and also supports their employment and educational endeavors. Among the poor, there is a severe shortage of adequate, affordable housing. Because housing is central to the social and economic needs of all people, it is not surprising that national policy has long pro- claimed the goal of a “decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.”