The Rent Strike
"...The original demands of the strikers were reasonable and justified. They asked for rent reductions, improved service... rehabilitation of the physical structures, and perhaps most important of all, increased security for person and property in and around the apartments."
-Eugene Meehan From the beginning, there was not enough rental income to cover maintenance and security at Pruitt-Igoe. The St. Louis Housing Authority had no choice but to repeatedly increase the rents at all of the projects. Frustrated by the horrible conditions and increasing rents, residents of the St. Louis public housing projects launched the first-ever public housing rent strike in February 1969.
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"[The tenants'] living conditions had literally become intolerable. In Carr Square, the buildings were old, deferred maintenance was taking its toll...conditions were barely livable.
In many of the other developments, the quality of the environment was far worse; roving gangs stalked the streets, sniping was commonplace, vandalism was rife. And for many tenants, the appalling pressure of rents in excess of 50 to 75 percent of total monthly income created genuine suffering." -Eugene Meehan |
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Reforms
The rent strike was settled in October of that year. As a result of the strike, the structure of the St. Louis Housing Authority was dramatically changed, and tenants were given a stronger voice in day-to-day operations. This tenant involvement trend spread quickly throughout the nation.
"Today, tenants have much more say in the management of public housing, thanks to the efforts of Pruitt-Igoe tenants." -Interview with Joseph Heathcott
The Brooke Amendment
The rent strike also helped trigger the passage of the Brooke Amendment, capping rents at 25 percent of a family’s income. The Brooke Amendment was supposed to provide subsidies to help pay the rest of the money, but, for Pruitt-Igoe, it was too little and too late.
"In 1971 the Brooke Amendment capped public housing rents at 25% of income (30% since 1981) and provided for operating subsidies to housing authorities to pay for shortfalls and defecits."
-J.A. Stoloff
-J.A. Stoloff
"HUD managed to spend only $33 million out of the $75 million 1970 appropiation for operating subsidies in an attempt to exert control." -J.A. Stoloff
Click to play audio. Source: St. Louis History in Black and White
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"From 1948 to 1953, rents collected by the authority increased 10% but operating expenses increased 101%; from 1954 to 1963 rents rose 50%, but operating expenses increased 300%
-Robert Fishman, "Rethinking Public Housing" |