The nation's 1.3 million public housing units, annually receive appropriations of nearly $6 billion, including almost $3 billion to subsidize the operating budgets of nearly 3,200 local public housing authorities. To determine whether the resources provided to public housing authorities could be used more efficiently and effectively, this report reviews the use of private contractors in the public housing industry. This report is based on a mail survey to a sample of about 1,200 housing authorities, and on meetings with public housing experts, private management companies, public housing residents, and officials of HUD. Charts and tables.