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Believe it or not, there was a time when the US government built beautiful homes for working-class Americans to deal with a housing shortage
In 1918, the U.S. government became the nation’s largest housing developer, creating over 80 communities across 26 states within two years.
These communities were well-planned and included parks, schools, shops, and sewer systems, rather than just basic barracks or identical houses.
The federal housing program provided homes for nearly 100,000 people in a brief period following Congressional authorization in May 1918.
The project demonstrated that large-scale, community-oriented public housing could be quickly and effectively executed by the government in response to urgent needs.