The enactment of two pro-poor housing legislations in the 1990s--the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992 and the Comprehensive Shelter Finance Act (CISFA) of 1994--led to major changes in government policy in housing the poor. While these brought about positive reforms in the housing sector, they were not able to move up housing for the poor in terms of scale and sustainability. Why so? This Note explains the reasons.