HOUSING OF THE 1940 to 1947 Housing and Home Finance Agency. June 1948 JUN The report on the housing of Negro veterans in 32 areas which was released by the Housing and Home Finance Agency in January 1948 pointed up the need for an analysis of the housing of the nonwhite population on a more comprehensive basis. Particularly among nonwhites, whose housing has long been considered so grossly deficient, it is important not to overlook the needs of those who are not entitled to the special preferences accorded to veterans. For this reason the data collected by the Census Bureau in 1947 have been studied closely, and the results of such intensive scrutiny presented in this bulletin. Although no conclusions have been reached as to the magnitude of the social need or market demand for housing on the part of the nonwhite population, the analysis contained herein should prove a stepping stone to the determination of the housing requirements of nonwhites, and to the means by which such requirements may be met. The housing conditions of the nonwhite population have improved measurably since 1940, which is a tribute to the teamwork of the housing industry and Government-local, State, and Federal. However, we realize that our task is far from finished; in order to see how much we must do, we shall have to know where we stand now and how much we have accomplished in the seven turbulent years since 1940. Although this report does not attempt to set a course, I believe that it does give us our present bearings. RAYMOND M. FOLEY, Housing and Home Finance Agency. I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This analysis of the current housing situation of the nonwhite population is based on the findings of the Bureau of the Census resulting from the complete enumeration it conducted in 1940 and the sample survey made in April 1947. Although additional data are available for both 1940 and 1947, with reference to population and labor force particularly, only those data were selected for analysis in this report which had special bearing on housing. On the other hand, it was also necessary to go beyond the releases of the Census Bureau in order to answer some of the questions inevitably arising from examination of the published Census data alone. Thus, in attempting to understand the reasons for the improvement in the housing conditions of the nonwhite population, the Housing and Home Finance Agency requested and received from the Census Bureau supplemental information hitherto unpublished on changes in income during this period. This report was prepared by the Racial Relations Service and the Housing Data Staff in the Housing and Home Finance Agency. |