public housing

American  

noun

1. housing owned or operated by a government and usually offered at low rent to people with low incomes.

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Etymology

Origin of public housing

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Jay-Z, from public housing in Brooklyn, became a cultural powerhouse, and a wealthy man.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Growing up in Philadelphia public housing, Jazmeen Chisholm didn’t have many career role models.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

He wants to increase the number of bike lanes, parks and green walking paths, as well as improve public housing in a capital of 2 million people where rent is often prohibitive.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

Huang has called for more public housing and for a reduction in the number of police officers, with the cost savings poured into other city services.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026

Expenditures on public housing have fallen since the 1980s, and the expansion of public rental subsidies came to a halt in the mid-1990s.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich