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1929-1945: The Federal Government Remakes U.S. Housing Policy
The Great Depression prompted the federal government to intervene in housing markets in new ways, both to provide more affordable housing options for citizens in need as well as to stimulate the economy through new construction. State-sanctioned segregation, however, ensured that opportunities for BIPOC to benefit from these new housing options were limited, while federally-backed lending programs designated most communities of color as unfavorable for public and private investment. Even in the run up to World War II, as increased demand for labor in new parts of the country kicked off a second great migration, BIPOC continued to face discrimination across housing markets.