The Atlanta Housing Authority was established in 1938 under Georgia Law to eliminate the city’s substandard housing by developing, acquiring, leaseing and operating affordable housing for low-income families. Construction began on Techwood Homes and later University Homes, located near the campus of the Georgia Institue of Technology. Today, AHA, which is funded and managed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, is the largest housing agency in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation. The Urban Renewal Committee of the Atlanta Board of Aldermen requested in September 1960 that the Atlanta Housing Authority submit a plan for urban renewal in the West End area of Atlanta, Georgia. The West End area neighborhoods were selected because the area showed "many signs of deterioration and approaching blight." The Housing Authority responded by submitting a General Neighborhood Renewal Plan application, which was ultimately approved by the Board of Aldermen and the Mayor of Atlanta, William B. Hartsfield, in November 1960. The application included the neighborhoods of University Center, Rawson-Washington, Butler Street, Rockdale, and Thomasville.