According to Wikipedia.org in America "more than 1.2 million households currently live in public housing of some type." The reason that so many households must live in public housing has everything to do with their lack of income and their lack of opportunity. In fact, most major cities have waiting lists for people that are qualified for public housing but lack accommodations and/or the budget for these impoverished people. When it comes to public housing, do not think for even a minute that the playing field is fair, because it clearly favors one type of citizen over other types. The rules for public housing assistance make it very clear that their preference is households in which there is not a history of any criminal activity. In fact, a felony conviction for any member of your household often results in your eviction or disqualification from public housing, with frequently the further restriction that if a relative or friend that is a convicted felon visits your residence, than you are subject to immediate disqualification from public housing which will many times lead to your eventual eviction. More perplexing, a mere arrest or a series of arrests for criminal activity can trigger your eviction or disqualification for public housing under the guise that this represents a "history of criminal activity" and although it appears that higher courts have upheld the standard that an arrest without a conviction is not criminal activity, most public housing authorities ignore this rule.
The foregoing makes it very clear that the government offers public housing to a certain segment of the population which is predominantly non-male head of household, since the male incarceration rate by gender percentage is 87-88% in the United States. Additionally, the most frequent crime that people are convicted for in America is drug related, to which thinkprogress.org states that "…almost half of federal inmates – 48 percent – were in prison for drug crimes." Consequently, perhaps half of people that are denied public housing based on criminal activity are essentially being denied because of past drug crimes in which typically there isn't any victim since one party is merely providing to another party a product that they desire or indulging themselves in a drug that has been criminalized..
Clearly, the government is primarily interested in providing public housing to those people of the population that are docile and obedient to their arbitrary rules and laws, people of a certain personality, of a certain gender, or certain characteristics, often lacking in ambition, or similar. While, no doubt, the make-up of these poor citizens includes good people with big hearts, good morals and good purpose that have been denied fair opportunities or a good education, none of that really matters to the public housing authorities as ultimately all they care about is that they are simply able to follow the prescribed rules.
When it comes to the public housing authorities and their rules and formalities, their purpose is quite straightforward, if you are subservient to the Man, keep your eyes down, know your place, aren't uppity, show your respectat all times to those that are above you, and proper consideration for their superiority and wisdom, you will do alright. The public housing authorities aren't looking for men, they won't really allow you to be a man, they are looking for boys, and as long as you are a good boy, a really good boy, you will do just fine.