Perceptions of public housing are contradictory. Most approve of it for their communities, but most don't want to live near it. A new public relations initiative seeks to educate the general public on the benefits of public housing to everyone.
"If you don’t live in public housing, you probably don’t think about it very much. When you do think about it, vague and negative stereotypes likely come to mind, about high crime rates and entrenched poverty. You might not think that the housing projects in your city have anything to do with you."
Sarah Goodyear looks at ReThink, a public relations initiative being funded by Housing Authority Insurance, Inc. (HAI), that seeks to "educate Americans about the benefits of public housing not only for the people who live in it, but for society as a whole."
"To that end, on ReThink’s website, you’ll find first-person stories from public-housing residents whose lives have been transformed by the availability of public housing. The highly produced two- to three-minute spots cut against the popular image of public housing residents as unemployed, directionless, and without ambition."
Read the full story: Selling the Public on Public Housing
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
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University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
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