Community Service Requirement 'Unfair'

Public housing residents not in school or working will soon be required to give 8 hours of community service a month.

1 minute read

July 28, 2003, 6:00 AM PDT

By Connie Chung


"Some 370,000 residents of public housing will have to perform eight hours of community service each month to stay in their apartments under rules revived by the Bush administration." Community service could include anything from volunteering at an afterschool program or a homeless shelter. "The rule essentially targets those who are neither working nor in school, although it exempts people in job training programs and the elderly and disabled. About 80 percent of the 2 million adults in public housing would be exempt, HUD estimates....House Democrats and many local housing officials say the rule is unfair because those who receive other types of housing aid, such as vouchers for private rentals or mortgage interest deductions on income taxes, aren't bound by the same requirement." The rule is to be enforced by public housing agencies by Oct. 31, 2003.

Thanks to Connie Chung

Saturday, July 26, 2003 in The Boston Globe

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business

Large spinning swing ride at Chicago's Navy Pier.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip

Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

July 3 - Streetsblog Chicago

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3 - Governing