The Rockaway peninsula is part of Queens, New York City. The communities there, referred to as the Rockaways, border the water, with long stretches of picturesque beaches. The name "Rockaway" (phonetically spelled) means "place of sands" in the Munsee language of the Native American Lenape people, who once inhabited the area. After the Dutch West Indian Company bought the land, many of the indigenous groups were forced to move and were replaced by European settlers. In the 19th century, the area began to attract wealthy of New York City residents during the summers. Today though, the Rockaways are better known for gang wars and neighborhoods still not repaired three years after Hurricane Sandy, than for glorious beaches. …show more content…
Surrounding the beautiful beaches were seaside hotels and the summer homes of wealthy businessmen. The area was pictured on postcards and was seen as a popular and fashionable place to visit. In 1880, the construction of the Long Island Railroad to the Rockaways allowed a year-round commuter population to grow. During the early 20th century, these train lines spawned a bustling residential community. The commuters effectively pushed out the vacationers. As well, with the early 1900s came the invention of the automobile and an increased willingness to travel further for vacation spots, such as Jones Beach, Fire Island, and the Hamptons. With the wealthier New Yorkers heading further east, the beaches of the Rockaways became the enclave of people who depended on public transportation. As wealthy vacationers abandoned the Rockaways, the hotels and fancy restaurants were shuttered, replaced by cheaper entertainment …show more content…
But with help of the Hope IV, some were able to start construction projects. The Hope IV act provides grants to public housing authorities to
“transform obsolete public housing sites into attractive, economically viable communities and to improve the lives of public housing residents through community and support service programs.”
What is not anticipated by this act is the issue of what they define as “obsolete public housing.” This language is similar to that of the slum renewal language that was used to destroy communities considered to be slum areas during the urban renewal programs of the 1950s. Meanwhile, Section 3 of Hope IV guarantees that
“employment and other economic opportunity created by Federal financial assistance for housing and community development programs should, if possible, be directed towards low and very low income persons, particularly those who are recipients of government assistance for