Abstract:
These cases, designed specifically for students of housing by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, follow the development of two trend-setting new low-income housing initiatives in New York City. Although different in key ways, both Nehemiah Homes and the New York City Housing Partnership are committed to new construction of modest homes for buyers of modest means in inner city areas. The case makes clear the extent to which this contrasts with both public housing and other subsidized housing initiatives which had reached their fullest flower in New York and had influenced policy throughout the US. In addition, particularly in the B case, the case provides specific financial data on both the single-family Nehemiah rowhouses and the two and three-family Partnership homes, as well as detailing the extent and types of public subsidies. The latter include publicly-supported low-interest mortgages, city clearance and donation of land and regulatory waivers which reduce construction costs. The focus on the organization known as East Brooklyn Congregations--a church-based group which provides the basic financing for Nehemiah Homes--also allows its use for classes on non-profit management and community organizing.
