Monitoring The Housing Allowance Program In St. Joseph County, Indiana - July-September, 1974. Housing Assistance Supply Experiment

This report describes community events. activities. and attitudes that may affect the experimental housing allowance program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. or bear on research issues addressed by the Housing Assistance Supply Experiment (HASE). It covers the first two months of the preenrollment period,. concurrent with the formation of the housing allowance office (HAO) in St. Joseph County, Indiana, before the program actually began operating.

The report first lists important events affecting the program, including the incorporation of the HAO, the hiring of HAO staff, and the signing of various agreements and contracts prerequisite to opening for business. It also describes the reactions of individuals and groups in South Bend to the program and assesses community opinions, confusion, and misinformation about it; lists the community organizations and governmental bodies to which the HAO made program presentations; and analyzes media reports. Many persons connected with city government and local business so far support the program, believing it will stimulate the South Bend economy. The most controversial issues to date have been the program's possible disadvantages in a tight housing market and the lack of local control of policy and funds