The HOPE VI programBy the early 1990s, public housing in America was in crisis. Sponsor MessageEarly studies of the HOPE VI program, like one commissioned by Congress, also found the program had mixed results. Sponsor MessageThe researchers find a bunch of evidence that cross-class social relationships were enhanced by the HOPE VI program. If the surrounding population isn't more affluent, the HOPE VI program failed to deliver them a meaningful income boost. They estimate that the average HOPE VI public housing unit cost the federal government $170,000 upfront.