public housing

"Documents the evolution of HOPE VI, exploring what it accomplished replacing severely distressed public housing with mixed-income communities and where it fell short. Reveals how a program conceived to address a specific problem triggered a revolution in public housing and solidified principles that still guide urban policy today."--from the publisher.

When Neecey's father abandons Neecey, her mother, and siblings, the family finds themselves struggling to make ends meet in a housing project, where Neecey is forced to care for her younger brothers and sisters and must find the inner strength to succeed.

Fourteen-year-old Louis Bowman struggles to find his place in the housing project where he and his mother and sister have moved.

The author tells the story of her struggles to reconcile her ghetto background and the world of private schools, wealthy classmates, and important jobs offered to her because of her academic talent.

Four African-American girls slip out of their housing project and spend a day playing together before returning home with a gift for the friend who was not able to join them.

Overwhelmed by grief and guilt over her brother's death and its impact on her mother, and at odds with her best friend, twelve-year-old Dellie reaches out to a neglected boy in her building in the projects and learns from a new neighbor to have faith in herself and others.

Text and color photos explain what public housing communities are and introduce the people one might find in them, including elderly persons, children, day care workers, custodians, and building managers.

The author describes his experiences working with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization that builds housing with volunteer laborers.

With the help of a couple of successful friends, eighteen- and nineteen-year-old Teesha and Keeba try to capitalize on their talents by opening a hair salon in the run-down Brooklyn housing project where they live.