government housing

[Malika]

I'm translating the memoirs of a French president for an American publisher and need help with a word. What do you call cheap, government-subsidised accommodation in the US? I think there's a word for it, it's on the tip of my tongue... is it just government housing?

 

[DammitJanet]

Low income housing, HUD housing, income-based housing that's about all I can think of

Government housing could be confused with military housing

 

[Malika]

Project housing, that was the phrase I was trying to think of - is that from the US?

 

[ThreeShadows]

Are you talking about HLM?

 

[InsaneCdn]

What is the term in French? That will give me a bit more idea...

Project Housing... definitely isn't Canadian.

 

[AnnieO]

Around here we call it Section 8...

 

[DammitJanet]

Well Section 8 housing is for actual private houses or apartments and is a certain type of HUD program not the low income based apartments themselves. Yes "the projects" could be a term that would be used in a book.

 

[Malika]

Yes, I gather there were some notorious "projects" in Chicago, for example.
I think "public housing" may be the best term.

 

[DammitJanet]

There are notorious projects in most big cities.

 

[Nancy]

Yes they were referred to as the "projects" years ago. I'm sure that term is no longer used but it was when I was growing up.

Nancy

 

[susiestar]

The term "the projects" is still used in some large cities. It is a term most people in the US would understand if they read the book, but I don't know if people in other countries would know.

 

[KTMom91]

I was also thinking "the projects."

 

[Malika]

Thank you all. I take it "public housing" would be universally understood?

 

[klmno]

If this is a professional book or more than a novel, I think you would use either public housing or some of the other terms DJ suggested. Although 'the projects' is understood by most Americans, it isn't really a term that is politically correct these days and some people are offended by it.

 

[AnnieO]

I would stick with "public housing" as well...

 

[InsaneCdn]

"Public housing" is generic enough that Canadians would figure it out too... so, probably safe!

 

[witzend]

"Projects" are what we call them. "HUD" and "Section 8" are very specific programs that you wouldn't want to cite unless they were actually the government "project" being utilized.

 

[Signorina]

The "projects" were "Public Housing Developments".

So, I guess if you mean to suggest subsidized housing for low income people - I'd use the term "public housing".

If you mean to suggest a denser concentration of low income housing complexes that later became blighted - I'd use the term "Public Housing Developments."

 

[HaoZi]

Ghettos?

 

[Malika]

Lol (I think?) HaoZi