This beautiful neighborhood is defying Section 8 housing stereotypes - take a look

April 1, 2018                                                        By: Leanna Garfield

Today's stereotypes of what public housing looks like originated four decades ago.

In 1978, the Jimmy Carter administration created the Housing Choice Voucher program, also known as Section 8, which provides assistance to low- and moderate-income families to rent affordable housing built by local housing authorities.

Westlawn Gardens, a public-housing development in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. HUD/APA

You've likely seen some of these 1980s-era apartment buildings — characterized by their boxy shapes and shabby brick facades — which come with a number of negative stereotypes. A 2010 analysis points to five major public concerns around Section 8 units: a lack of maintenance, expectation of crime, disapproval of housing as a handout, reduction of property values, and physical unattractiveness.

A redeveloped public-housing neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin could defy those old attitudes. Called Westlawn Gardens, it features green lawns, a community garden, new sidewalks and stormwater drains, and attractive apartment units with bright exteriors and modern interiors. Milwaukee's housing authority contracted the architecture firms Torti Gallas & Partners and Kindness Architecture & Planning to redesign Westlawn....................Read More