Public Housing Managers: An Appraisal

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Abstract
The characteristics and attitudes of public housing project managers are presented, as drawn from a mailed questionnaire returned by the managers of three-quarters of the public housing units in the country. Demographically, the managers differ sharply from the residents of public housing (although not to the extent true of housing authority commissioners and executive directors, as reported in two previous surveys). Although the job is exceedingly important for the two and one-half million persons who live in housing projects and requires a wide variety of skills, the position is ill-defined, both to the manager himself and to those responsible for filling these positions. Managers do not admit to much tenant-management conflict, despite tenant reports to the contrary. Nor is there much sentiment favoring increased tenant participation in project management, despite tenant demands for greater control, at least in the larger cities. Managers are caught in the middle of many of the public housing program's financial and social difficulties; they have little real power, but are the focus of the tenants' increasing frustrations and dissatisfactions. More explicit training and job definition, greater autonomy from the housing authority central office, increased involvement of tenants in project management, and assumption by tenants of managerial jobs are possible ameliorative steps. More fundamental problems must be faced, however, with respect to the inadequate subsidies provided for the low-rent housing program and the underlying issues of race and income distribution which are at the root of housing problems.

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