 By 1974, three times as much was paid out in rent subsidies as in 1969, and nearly one and a half million households received rental assistance.Increases were made in public housing subsidies, as characterised by a 36% increase in the social housing budget in 1970 and by the introduction of a programme for the construction of 200,000 public housing units (1971).From 1970 to 1971, an 18.1% increase in building permits for social housing units was made.