The paper explores the circumstances in which housing policies are articulated and implemented in
developing countries using Akure in Ondo State of Nigeria as a case study. The paper examines the suitability and
potential of the policies to addressing housing affordability and shortages in urban areas of the country as well as
determines the impact of the policy on housing delivery. A structured questionnaire was administered to selected
residents of the city using the Systematic sampling technique. This involved the selection of every 10th building in the
nine wards into which the city was stratified. In all, a total of 1266 questionnaires were administered to obtain
information on the socio economic characteristics and housing condition of households surveyed. The paper reveals
that majority of residents of the city are low-income earners that cannot afford housing being produced under the
policy. The paper also shows that the policy has not made much contribution to housing provision. The Primary
Mortgage Institutions that are essential in the implementation of the policy are not available in the state and
therefore residents of the city have not been able to benefit from the outcome of the policy. Majority of households
in the city are not aware of the policy and its potentials in financing housing. The paper argues that although the
policy posses great potentials to improving housing delivery, there is a need to rethink and repackage the policy so
that majority can benefit from it. There is the need to incorporate social housing into the policy to assist the very
poor that cannot take care of their housing consumption needs. The present approach of leaving housing provision
to the vagaries of market forces would not be expected to provide affordable housing especially to the poor.