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Only about 36 per cent of Washington's families own their homes.
The others rent them. The national average for the percentage of
families in cities who own their homes is about 48 per cent.
Washington has some of the nation's most luxurious housing,
including the Watergate apartments and the mansions and town
houses of Georgetown. Washington also has much good middle-
class housing. However, the city faces a shortage of good housing
for low-income, as well as moderate-income, families. This
housing shortage exists in both the city and the suburbs and ranks
among the Washington area's biggest problems.
Several factors make the housing problem difficult to solve.
Each year, some housing units become so rundown that people
abandon them, thus reducing the number of usable low-income
units. In other cases, low income units are remodeled and then
rented or sold to higher-income households. In addition, since the
1960's, the cost of housing has risen faster in Washington than in
most parts of the country. Rising costs further reduce the amount
of housing available to people with low and moderate incomes.
Education. The Washington public school system includes
about 180 schools with more than 88,000 students. An additional
25,000 students attend about 80 private schools in the city.
The District of Columbia Board of Education governs the
public school system. The board consists of 11 members who are
elected by the people to four-year terms. The members appoint a
superintendent to administer the system. About 90 per cent of the
money needed to run Washington's public schools comes from
local taxes, and about 10 per cent comes from the federal
government.
Washington has 17 accredited universities and colleges. The
University of the District of Columbia, established in 1976, has
three campuses in the city. Howard University is one of the
country's largest predominantly black universities. Catholic
University of America is the national university of the Roman
Catholic Church in the United States.
Social problems. Washington faces a variety of social
problems. Among these problems are poverty and crime.
Overall, the people of Washington have a high standard of
living. However, thousands of people in both the city and suburbs
do not share in the wealth. About 15 per cent of all the families in
the city and about 4 per cent of the families in the suburbs have