were retired. Family structure also showed dramatic differences: only eight percent were couples while ninety-two percent were single adults.

In the 1980s population characteristics continued trends first noted in 1959. Of the 132 adults living in Stevens Courts, twenty-six percent were male while seventy-four percent were female. Sixteen percent were working while eighty-four percent were unemployed. Of the number of unemployed residents, sixty percent were retired. Single women headed Ninety-four percent of the families, while six percent were couples. In 1985 gender breakdown remained about the same as in 1980: twenty-two percent of the eighty-one adults living in the project were male while seventy-eight percent were female. Only sixty-five percent of the apartments were filled. Thirteen percent of residents were employed while eighty-seven percent were unemployed. The number of residents with telephones had jumped to fifty-nine percent. The breakdown of singles/couples was ninety-six percent single and four percent couples. Seventy-four percent of those unemployed were retired.

In the 1990s Stevens Courts faced rising vacancy. Only forty-one percent of the apartments were filled and the number of female-headed families rose to eighty-one percent. Only ten percent of residents were working and the number of retired among the unemployed fell to twenty-four percent. A bit of a renewal began in 1995 with occupancy rates rising to sixty-six percent. The number of adults rose from fifty-four to eighty-three. Unemployment stood at ninety-four percent with thirteen percent of the unemployed being retired. Family status was ninety-eight percent single. The presence of a telephone dropped to eleven percent.

In 2000 the worst statistics for occupancy were tallied. There were fifty-one adults on site with seventy-one percent of those being female. Only thirty-seven percent of the apartments were filled. One-hundred percent of the residents were unemployed and of those who were unemployed none were retired. Marital status stood at ninety-six percent single. Additionally, according to the city directory, there were no resident telephones within the complex.

Stevens Courts’ 124 apartments served thousands of people since its construction in 1942 (See the Appendix for tenant lists over the years). It provided the solution to a city need for more than six decades. However, it became apparent that the facility could not be updated to satisfy U.S. disability requirements for public housing and the declining occupancy rate showed dissatisfaction among tenants with the quality of housing in sixty-year old buildings. Therefore, H.A.T.T. sought approval to demolish Stevens Courts to make room for individual family housing that more accurately reflected historic community profiles. Stevens Courts will be demolished in 2010, however, the Administration Building will be preserved on site and will serve as a cultural center and housing project museum.