Providing housing to those who cannot afford to pay market rates has been and continues to be a major problem in the United States. Since the 1930s, the provision of affordable housing in the United States has been accomplished through a mix of local, state, federal, and private approaches. However, the best strategy for providing affordable housing has been the subject of much debate. This paper outlines the history of U.S. affordable housing policy (including public housing) with the aim of demonstrating the impacts of various approaches to provisioning. By focusing on policy shifts, the paper examines the incremental changes in policy that allowed the United States to transition to a hybrid model of affordable housing provision that relies on private and non-profit sector partnerships with the government.