In August 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Omnibus Housing Act into law. It was the most comprehensive housing legislation ever passed. The act extended the government-funded public housing provided by the Housing Act of 1961. This new act provided more money for construction of new housing for low- and middle-income families and offered grants for urban renewal projects. It also established new programs of rent supplements to low-income families. The rent supplement plan was controversial because Democrats and Republicans both objected to the definition of a “qualified family.” The passing of the Omnibus Housing Act was quickly followed by the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
