6. The Pervasiveness of Distrust in the Housing Market: Analyzing Interactions Between Residents and Housing Institutions

This chapter aims to expand on the experience of people on the ground by focusing on the trust/distrust relationships between residents and institutions that work on housing provision. Due to the many struggles people are facing in today’s housing market, trust relationships are not only at stake in and around the home but especially in regard to trusting those institutions that are often seen as the originators of the crisis: banks, developers, real estate firms, as well as municipal and federal housing departments. The first section of this chapter discusses market mechanisms, mostly the supply side argument, around which cities build their housing policies. The second section then focuses on the state as an actor in the housing market. While the state is caught up in most developments one way or another, this section looks at state-funded housing, in particular public housing and voucher programs, using Barry Farm in Washington, DC, as an example. The third section then discusses the role of nonprofit developers, often deemed a wholesome alternative compared to predacious real estate developers and unreliable state programs. The case of Make It Right in New Orleans will serve as an example here.