U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

STRATEGIC

 PLAN

2018-2022
2

FEBRUARY 2018
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY 2

HUD’S MISSION 4

INTRODUCTION 4

HUD’S FY 2018-2022 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 7

FY 2018-2019 AGENCY PRIORITY GOALS 8

STRATEGIC GOAL: RETHINK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

PROMOTE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 11

ENHANCE RENTAL ASSISTANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

REDUCE THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF HOMELESSNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY 18

REMOVE LEAD-BASED PAINT HAZARDS AND OTHER HEALTH RISKS FROM HOMES 20

STRATEGIC GOAL: REIMAGINE THE WAY HUD WORKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

ORGANIZE AND DELIVER SERVICES MORE EFFECTIVELY 25

IMPROVE THE WAY WE WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

STRENGTHEN FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CONTROLS 29

CROSS-AGENCY PRIORITY GOALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
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FEBRUARY 2018

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY

I am proud to present the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 

(HUD’s) Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2018-2022. The goals and priorities in this plan 

will allow HUD to achieve its mission to provide safe, decent, affordable housing 

for the American people while being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.

While HUD has existed for more than 50 years, many Americans still struggle 

to find affordable housing. The housing market, largely recovered from the 

financial crisis, has stabilized and demand for housing continues to grow. HUD 

must move away from the policies and programs of the past and develop an 

innovative approach that anticipates the housing needs of the future, while 

addressing current needs. This approach will focus on creating strong publicprivate partnerships that leverage private capital and remove burdensome 

regulations from our citizens and businesses. We must work to develop a new 

way of delivering housing assistance to those in need that not only helps them 

today, but creates a path to self-sufficiency for them tomorrow.

To achieve this vision, HUD will pursue the policy and management objectives laid out in this plan. HUD’s 

first goal is to Rethink American Communities. HUD must allow for more home-grown solutions and greater 

community participation in solving the complex housing problems America faces. That is why we are reassessing 

regulations across our programs and reducing burdens that stifle local innovations and make it harder for 

partners to work with HUD. We will also identify the local regulatory barriers that are stifling the development 

of affordable housing and work with our local partners to tear them down.

HUD will focus especially on streamlining the administration of the Department’s rental assistance programs. 

HUD is looking at ways to give Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and other state and local partners more control 

over their portfolios so they can find unique ways to address their own housing needs. A core part of this goal 

is promoting economic opportunity for those receiving rental assistance. An aim of any anti-poverty program 

should be to help work-able beneficiaries reach prosperity and self-sufficiency. That is why we are collaborating 

with philanthropy and faith-based organizations to align community-based supportive services, such as job 

training, that can put residents on a path to independence. 

As we right-size the role of HUD’s assistance, we must direct funds to cost-effective strategies that work. HUD 

plays an important role in enabling first-time homebuyers to access affordable mortgage credit. At the same 

time, HUD must also take a hard look at the roles of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae 

in the housing market and minimize risk to taxpayers. If these programs are not sustainable, they will not be 

able to serve the borrowers who need them. 

It is imperative for HUD to continue to work with communities to prevent and, ultimately, end homelessness, 

encouraging the use of housing-focused strategies that reduce the length of homelessness for people who 

experience a housing crisis. The more quickly people experiencing homelessness are connected to permanent 

housing, the less costly it will be to taxpayers and to the overall health of these families and individuals. 

As a doctor, I feel a personal connection to HUD’s work to reduce lead-paint hazards and other health risks in 

homes. Home should be a source of stability for families, not harm. HUD must be committed to finding local 

partners willing to help us remedy unsafe housing by eliminating lead and other health hazards from dwellings.

HUD’s important work cannot happen if the government does not well serve the American taxpayer. That is why 

I have asked us to reimagine the way HUD works. We are looking at HUD’s current, outmoded service delivery 
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

model and updating it to better meet customers’ needs. I see the thousands of hard-working employees who 

run HUD’s programs and want to do so more effectively. It is vital that they have the tools and training they 

need to fulfill HUD’s mission. We will strengthen internal controls while improving mission support services 

such as hiring, grants management, and procurement.

HUD’s Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2018-2022 presents a bold, innovative plan to facilitate cooperation with 

state and local partners to support sustainable homeownership, promote economic opportunity, and allow 

communities to prosper. History has shown us that spending more taxpayer dollars does not always create 

better outcomes. Instead, HUD will focus on strengthening public/private partnerships, positioning those 

who receive housing assistance to achieve self-sufficiency, and using taxpayer dollars more effectively by 

operating more efficiently. Through these efforts we will give the American people and their communities 

the opportunity to thrive. 
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HUD’S MISSION 

CREATE STRONG, SUSTAINABLE, INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES AND QUALITY 

AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR ALL.

INTRODUCTION 

HUD’s FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan lays out this administration’s strategy to refocus HUD on its core mission 

and modernize its approach by leveraging private-sector partnerships, strengthening the housing market, and 

encouraging affordable housing investment, while redesigning internal processes. A primary goal of HUD’s 

four-year vision is to reimagine how the Department works, how it delivers services and how it might do so 

more efficiently and effectively. Reimagining how HUD works also means that, as stewards of the public trust, 

all of HUD’s leadership and staff must take ownership of what the Department does and be accountable as 

public servants. The FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan presents the core vision of what we hope to accomplish, 

the strategies to accomplish those objectives, and the indicators of success.

REFOCUSING ON HUD’S CORE MISSION AND MODERNIZING HUD’S APPROACH

To achieve its core mission while being a good steward of taxpayer dollars, HUD must rethink how it does 

business. HUD can encourage and better leverage private capital investment by right-sizing its role in the 

housing market. By partnering with state, local and private entities and providing more flexibilities, HUD can 

empower increased local decision-making. Most importantly, HUD must look within to identify ways to use 

its resources more effectively.

LEVERAGING PRIVATE-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS

Local communities provide numerous examples of the success of private organizations—churches, fraternal 

organizations, and businesses, large and small—working with government support to positively impact 

communities. These partnerships are most effective when HUD and other branches of government facilitate 

cooperation, without hindering private initiative and economic growth. HUD will look at ways to restore local 

control and sponsor home-grown solutions. Many of the goals outlined in the plan, such as eliminating lead 

hazards, transforming public housing, and making progress towards ending homelessness, will rely on effectively 

leveraging private capital and forming community partnerships. To do this, HUD must reduce burdens on the 

recipients of HUD funding and provide greater flexibilities. These community organizations and businesses are 

the life-blood of the community. To achieve its goals, HUD must empower these organizations and businesses.

SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP AND ENCOURAGING AFFORDABLE HOUSING INVESTMENTS

With the housing market strengthening, HUD must support responsible homeownership for credit-worthy 

borrowers who have been traditionally underserved, such as first-time and minority homebuyers, and 

increased private capital investment in affordable housing. HUD will also work with other Federal partners 

on comprehensive housing finance reform that expands the role of the private sector and reduces taxpayer 

exposure. HUD will also encourage Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to seek private, state and local partnerships 

to leverage opportunities for additional investment and to transition Public Housing properties to more 

sustainable platforms. Expanding access to affordable housing on a national scale is a complex challenge 

that can only be achieved by maximizing private investment and empowering state and local governments 

to help find solutions. We must also pay attention to the opinions of the people we are trying to help.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

REDESIGNING HUD’S INTERNAL PROCESSES

HUD cannot just change the way it runs its programs, it must also reimagine its internal processes. Finding 

and increasing efficiencies throughout the agency is key to doing more with less. Tremendous opportunity 

exists to improve HUD’s processes, starting with modernizing the Department’s information technology and 

then integrating technological improvements into changes in service delivery to maximize the benefits across 

the agency. Improving the efficiency of HUD operations will allow the best use of resources and even better 

implementation of Department priorities.
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FEBRUARY 2018

DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN 

1 OMB Circular No. A-123, Management’s Responsibility for Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Control (July 15, 2016).

2 See https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdf/Research_Roadmap.pdf.

3 See https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdf/ResearchRoadmap-2017Update.pdf.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 

The Department is rethinking our business from the bottom up by engaging HUD’s career professionals, the 

folks who know what works well and what changes we can make to be more responsive to the American 

people. The FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan is informed by their views and other comments received in the 

development of the Government-wide Reform Plan. In particular, HUD has used such recommendations to 

inform the regulatory reform efforts to be undertaken over the next four years. HUD also received comments 

from external stakeholders via Switchboard, the Department’s online idea generation platform. Prior to the 

final submission of this plan, the Department briefed Congressional appropriations staff. These engagements 

were integral to developing balanced and effective strategies for HUD.

ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT 

New enterprise risk management and internal controls require annual reporting on Departmental risk at 

strategic, programmatic, and operational levels.1 In FY 2017, HUD developed its first departmental risk profile 

and used it to inform the strategic planning process. HUD risk officers, stakeholders, and business owners 

continue to work together to integrate and align performance, budget, and risk management activities to 

better inform leadership decisions and the strategic planning process.

BUILDING THE EVIDENCE BASE 

The Department is committed to evidence-based policymaking to implement cost-effective solutions that 

support the mission. To guide HUD policy in a changing environment, it is essential that the research function 

be strategic, systematic, and well-structured. Highlighted throughout the Strategic Plan FY 2018-2022 are the 

data and evaluations that are available to support the focus and strategies of each Strategic Objective, and 

the evaluations underway to fill in the gaps. The HUD Research Roadmap FY 2014–FY 20182 and HUD Research 

Roadmap: 2017 Update3 provide the long-term strategic framework for building the evidence base to support 

HUD policy development. This document identifies critical policy questions that remain unanswered and 

highlights relevant research investments that are still needed.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

HUD’S FY 2018-2022 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 

RETHINK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES 

PROMOTE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY J

Promote economic opportunity by encouraging self-sufficiency and financial stability among HUDassisted residents.

ENHANCE RENTAL ASSISTANCE J

Enhance and reform our rental assistance programs by providing sustainable models to empower 

communities to address local affordable housing needs.

REDUCE THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF HOMELESSNESS J

Prevent homelessness whenever possible and quickly help Americans who become homeless to ensure 

such experiences are brief and non-recurring.

SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY

 Responsibly balance our role to support homeownership while safeguarding the American taxpayer and 

modernizing our housing finance system.

REMOVE LEAD-BASED PAINT HAZARDS AND OTHER HEALTH RISKS FROM HOMES J

Protect the health of residents by addressing lead-based paint and other health and safety hazards in 

housing.

REIMAGINE THE WAY HUD WORKS 

ORGANIZE AND DELIVER SERVICES MORE EFFECTIVELY*

Rethink how we deliver services directly to our customers to increase consistency and accountability.

IMPROVE THE WAY WE WORK* 

Improve the way we work, enhance working conditions, empower employees, and equip managers with 

tools and training to be successful.

STRENGTHEN FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CONTROLS* 

Streamline and improve financial and grants management to reduce material audit weaknesses, increase 

transparency, and ensure strong stewardship of Federal resources.

J These objectives include an FY 2018-2019 Agency Priority Goal.

* These objectives are HUD’s FY 2018-2022 management objectives.
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FY 2018-2019 AGENCY PRIORITY GOALS 

Agency Priority Goals (APGs) reflect the Department’s key priorities for the next two years. Through public goal 

setting, quarterly leadership discussions, and regular public updates, agencies have made significant progress 

to advance the selected mission outcomes of APGs. For FY 2018-2019, HUD will track progress on these APGs:

v Promote economic opportunity for HUD-assisted residents by encouraging self-sufficiency and 

financial stability, as measured by increasing the proportion of households who exit HUD-assisted 

housing for positive reasons.

v Transform assisted housing by transitioning 105,000 additional Public Housing units to a more 

sustainable platform by the end of FY 2019. 

v Reduce the average length of homelessness in communities by an average of three days by the end 

of FY 2019.

v Protect families from lead-based paint and other health hazards by making an additional 23,500 

at-risk housing units healthy and lead-safe by the end of FY 2019.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

RETHINK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
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STRATEGIC GOAL: RETHINK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES 

4 Each year, more than 3,000 cities and counties conduct a “Point-in-Time” (PIT) count to estimate the scope of homelessness on a single night in 

January. Data from January 2017 show 553,742 people were experiencing homelessness.

To support American communities, HUD recognizes that the solutions of the past are inadequate to meet today’s 

challenges. Across HUD’s portfolio, there are numerous opportunities to better support local innovation, give 

communities the flexibility needed to more quickly implement proven solutions, and invite new philanthropy, 

businesses, and faith-based partners to be part of those solutions. The policy objectives laid out in this plan 

aim to right-size HUD’s role to better achieve our core mission to assist those in need and to support a path 

to self-sufficiency.

Every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard 

work, determination, and initiative. HUD is committed to giving credit-worthy borrowers — many of them 

prospective first-time homebuyers, including minorities and young families — an opportunity to acquire 

and build equity in a way that reduces risk to the American taxpayer and treats private capital like a business 

partner instead of an adversary. For families needing rental assistance, HUD is focused on enhancing our 

programs to reduce administrative burdens and improve the way we deliver assistance. This includes updating 

our Public Housing model so it is sustainable in the long-term. These updates will be in accordance with fair 

housing laws so that families and individuals can acquire housing free from discrimination. HUD will also 

continue helping the more than 500,000 persons experiencing homelessness4 rapidly move into housing. 

Our approach aims to use cost-effective means to make homelessness rare, brief, and a one-time experience 

for these individuals and families. We are also committed to working with our local partners to identify and 

tear down regulatory barriers that are stifling the development of affordable homes.

HUD is also doing more to connect Americans in need with resources that will allow them to live safe and 

financially secure lives. A new approach is required to ensure families are connected to services in their 

communities that put them on a path to self-sufficiency. By centralizing access to supportive services, HUD 

can leverage state, local, and non-profit programs to connect rental assistance recipients with the work, 

education, and health resources they may need. The Department will also continue to ensure homes are safe 

by mitigating lead-based paint hazards and other housing-related health risks. 

To meet this goal, HUD will pursue these strategic objectives: 

v Promote economic opportunity by encouraging self-sufficiency and financial stability among HUDassisted residents.

v Enhance and reform our rental assistance programs by providing sustainable models to empower 

communities to address local affordable housing needs.

v End homelessness by preventing it whenever possible and quickly helping Americans who experience 

a housing crisis to ensure such experiences are brief and non-recurring. 

v Balance our role to support homeownership while safeguarding the American taxpayer and modernizing 

our housing finance system 

v Protect the health of residents by addressing lead-based paint and other health and safety hazards in 

housing.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

PROMOTE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 

Promote economic opportunity by encouraging self-sufficiency and financial stability among HUD-assisted 

residents. 

J Agency Priority Goal for FY 2018-19: Promote economic opportunity for HUD-assisted residents by 

encouraging self-sufficiency and financial stability, as measured by increasing the proportion of 

households who exit HUD-assisted housing for positive reasons. J

Objective 

Although HUD has long understood that the core work 

of the agency is centered on housing American families, 

we must endeavor to connect program participants with 

supportive services to close education and employment 

gaps that prevent them from achieving self-sufficiency. HUD 

will leverage partnerships with other Federal agencies, states, 

localities, businesses and non-profits to help HUD-assisted 

residents find a path to financial stability.

The goal is to create a clear path to self-sufficiency and 

reduce the need for HUD assistance. HUD must focus on the 

educational and work preparedness outcomes of participants 

by expanding and aligning existing economic self-sufficiency 

programs. HUD has achieved results through coordinated 

efforts with local partners, particularly through cross-program 

and interagency collaboration that focuses on place-based 

outcomes. The agency will seek to expand this coordination by 

creating community-based EnVision Center networks and improving access to supportive services at the local 

level. HUD will create low-cost, sustainable models for short- and long-term educational and work outcomes 

that lead to self-sufficiency, as well as connecting participants to financial and credit literacy programs via 

private and public partners. We are committed to measuring success based on how many graduate from 

our programs in a financially stable position, rather than determining success based on how many people 

we are enrolling in them.

Strategies 

v Create EnVision Center network to improve access and delivery of supportive services to American 

families through public and private partners. 

v Assess and promote economic self-sufficiency programs including Jobs Plus, Family Self Sufficiency, 

and Section 3 to serve more PHAs. HUD will explore options to expand these services to residents of 

Multifamily properties. HUD will strengthen the effectiveness and monitoring of Section 3 requirements to 

encourage employment of assisted and low-income individuals in HUD-funded housing and community 

development construction projects. 

v Provide targeted outreach on supportive services for education. Using HUD and Federal Student 

Aid (FSA) matched data, HUD will provide targeted outreach to raise awareness about higher education, 

financial aid, and education navigation services. HUD will continue to promote the use of local datasharing agreements between school systems and HUD-assisted housing to target services.

v Leverage partnerships with other Federal and local agencies, non-profits, and private businesses to 

increase participation by HUD-assisted households in work and job training programs. 

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

David Byrd 

Senior Advisor 

Office of the Secretary

Contributing Programs

Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS); Jobs Plus; 

Connect Home

External Partners 

Department of Labor, Department of 

Education, Department of Agriculture, 

Small Business Administration, Department 

of Commerce
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FEBRUARY 2018

Metrics

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators:

v Proportion of households exiting assisted housing for positive reasons

This measure will track the percentage of households who exit HUD-assisted housing for positive 

reasons as a proportion of all exits. This data will come from new tracking in Public Housing, Housing 

Choice Vouchers, and Multifamily Housing programs. Positive reasons will be defined in the new data 

collection process, but will include increases to household income. 

v Percentage of work-able households exiting assisted housing with low subsidy needs

This measure will track the percentage of households who leave Section 8 assistance with their 

income-based subsidies at or near zero. Such low subsidies imply that household incomes have 

increased to the extent that market-based housing is within reach. 

v Median percentage change of income of individuals who complete an economic development 

program 

This measure will track income growth among households who participate in HUD economic 

development programs such as FSS, Jobs Plus, and EnVision Centers. 

Evidence 

HUD is currently conducting rigorous evaluations of the two primary programs to remove work disincentives 

and improve self-sufficiency among assisted tenants: Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) and Jobs Plus. A forthcoming 

2018 evaluation will provide further evidence about the effectiveness of many FSS programs in a diverse set 

of cities and local contexts. HUD is assessing the effectiveness of Jobs Plus in the 24 replication sites funded 

since 2014, to examine the implications of the program’s Earned Income Disregard on work and incomereporting behavior and to assess the long-term impacts of the original model.

Today, HUD does not consistently track data on why residents leave housing assistance, which limits the 

Department’s ability to assess existing administrative data on the impact of housing as a platform to selfsufficiency. HUD must conduct further evaluation on the reasons for housing assistance exits and outcomes 

after exit. The proposed FY18 research projects, Community Service and Self-Sufficiency Requirement and Reasons 

for Housing Assistance Exits and Outcomes After Exit, would shed further light on the outcomes of assisted 

households and what PHAs are doing to connect them to supportive services.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

ENHANCE RENTAL ASSISTANCE 

Enhance and reform our rental assistance programs by providing sustainable models to empower communities 

to address local affordable housing needs.

J Agency Priority Goal for FY 2018-19: Transform assisted housing by transitioning 105,000 additional 

Public Housing units to a more sustainable platform by the end of FY 2019. J

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

Dominique Blom

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Public and Indian Housing 

Contributing Programs

Housing Choice Vouchers, Project-Based 

Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Rental 

Assistance Demonstration

Objective 

HUD provides rental assistance to more than 5.6 million 

low-income households through 21 programs, including 

programs for elderly residents and individuals with disabilities. 

Rental housing reforms are necessary to provide sustainable 

and reliable assistance. HUD will 1) develop and implement 

a comprehensive strategy for addressing the current and 

future needs of the public housing program that is more 

responsive to local communities, 2) create a rental reform 

package to simplify tenant rent calculations and restructure 

related incentives, and 3) align and streamline administration 

of rental assistance programs to better serve HUD residents 

and stakeholders. 

The Public Housing program provides affordable housing to nearly one million families nationwide. The 

current structure and fiscal constraints of the program limit the flexibility of Public Housing Agencies (PHA) to 

efficiently operate housing, minimize costs, and provide access to critical resources to recapitalize the portfolio. 

Through a comprehensive strategy for addressing the current and future needs of the Public Housing program, 

HUD will propose reforms to maximize rental assistance cost-effectiveness and PHA regulatory flexibility. It 

will also create opportunities to leverage private capital to rehab these properties and move units to a more 

sustainable platform. We are also committed to working with our local partners to identify and tear down 

regulatory barriers that are stifling the development of affordable homes.

The current, burdensome system of determining tenant rents based on complicated income calculations 

often results in inaccurate income reporting, discourages increased earning, and may discourage stable 

family formation. Further critical updates are needed to streamline program administration. HUD will propose 

new methods of calculating and managing tenant rents that address these issues and promote resident 

economic self-sufficiency. Reducing this burden will help multifamily property owners and PHAs shift their 

focus to helping families get on a path to economic independence. In addition, the rent reform proposals 

will promote self-sufficiency and lead to increased economic opportunity as described under the objective 

to Promote Economic Opportunity.

Strategies 

v Engage with residents, PHA management, and industry thought leaders on different rental housing 

program structures and rent calculations. This engagement will occur through public comment, listening 

sessions, and other meetings across the country. 

v Improve long-term affordable housing options by encouraging Public Housing Authorities to transition 

Public Housing units with unmet capital needs to a more sustainable platform. 

v Develop a legislative proposal that modifies the rental calculation system to encourage work and 

stable family formation, simplifies administration, improves fiscal sustainability, and increases local 

control and choice.
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FEBRUARY 2018

Metric 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use this performance indicator:

v Number of Public Housing units transitioned to a sustainable funding platform 

The measure will track the number of Public Housing units transitioned through the Rental Assistance 

Demonstration (RAD), Section 18 Demolitions and Dispositions, Voluntary Conversions, and 

Declaration of Trust releases. 

Evidence 

Every two years, HUD releases a focused report on American renter households experiencing Worst Case 

Housing Needs, which presents data on the number of unassisted renter households making less than 50% 

of area median income and paying more than half of their income on rent or having severely inadequate 

housing. Worst case housing needs increased during 2013–2015 to affect 8.3 million very low-income renter 

households. Only 62.0 rental units are affordable and available for every 100 very low-income renters, and 

only 37.7 units are affordable and available for every 100 extremely low-income renters.5

PD&R is currently producing outcomes analyses for two landmark studies: The Rent Reform Demonstration and 

the Rental Assistance Demonstration. HUD’s Rent Reform Demonstration is designed to test an alternative to the 

current HUD-assisted rent structure using a randomized controlled trial to assess its effect on the employment, 

earnings, and hardship of the residents who rely on housing vouchers. The Rental Assistance Demonstration 

is designed to provide PHAs with new options for preserving public housing units, by converting them to the 

more financially sustainable project-based Section 8 assisted housing platform. These are important studies 

for the development of the rent reform proposals and determining the most cost-effective ways to achieve 

rental assistance program objectives.

The Rent Reform Demonstration is designed to test an alternative to the current rent-setting system for 

families using housing choice vouchers (HCV). The goals of the alternative rent-setting model are to incentivize 

employment and reduce the complexity and burden (and thus the cost) of administering the rent policy, while 

not causing unnecessary hardship for HCV households. The study team, public housing agencies (PHAs), and 

HUD collaboratively designed the alternative rent model that 

is being tested at four local Moving to Work (MTW) PHAs with 

6,600 participating HCV assisted households using a rigorous 

random assignment design. The four participating PHAs 

are the District of Columbia Housing Authority, Lexington 

Housing Authority, Louisville Metropolitan Housing Authority, 

and San Antonio Housing Authority. In October 2017, HUD 

published Reducing Work Disincentives in the Housing Choice 

Voucher Program: Rent Reform Demonstration Baseline Report, 

which provides a detailed explanation of the alternative rent 

model, a description of the demonstration implementation, 

and an outline of the preliminary baseline information and 

survey data that has already been gathered from the assisted 

families participating in the study.

The Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration, which gives a 

select group of PHAs administrative flexibility to achieve goals 

of cost efficiency, client self-sufficiency, and increasing housing 

choice, provides the opportunity to test innovative rental 

assistance strategies. Previous analysis of whether tenants 

5 Very low-incomes are those incomes of no more than 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) and extremely low-incomes are those incomes 

of no more than 30 percent AMI- typically below the poverty line. HUD-PD&R 2017. “Worst Case Housing Needs: 2017 Report to Congress.” 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Worst-Case-Housing-Needs.pdf
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

benefit from this program have shown mixed results. HUD commissioned a retrospective evaluation to increase 

understanding of the effectiveness of MTW’s initiatives on achieving the statutory goals of the program; 

that evaluation is expected to be completed in late 2018. Additional research is currently being planned in 

conjunction with the MTW expansion authorized by the FY 2016 Appropriations Act. These evaluations will 

study specific policy changes introduced in separate cohorts of the 100 new MTW PHAs, with an emphasis 

on understanding impacts on small- and moderately-sized PHAs.
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FEBRUARY 2018

REDUCE THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF HOMELESSNESS

6 Among the 50 CoCs with the highest one-year increases in count in the 2017 PIT count, 10 of those represented Balance of State CoCs, which 

are areas not covered by other continuums in large states and typically very rural. Another 20 of those CoCs were located in California, Oregon, 

or Washington state; Los Angeles alone saw a one-year increase of 11,334 people experiencing homelessness in the 2017 PIT count.

Prevent homelessness whenever possible and quickly help Americans who become homeless to ensure such 

experiences are brief and non-recurring.

J Agency Priority Goal for FY 2018-19: Reduce the average length of homelessness in communities by 

an average 3 days by the end of FY 2019. J

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

Neal Rackleff

Assistant Secretary for 

Community Planning and Development

Contributing Programs

Continuum of Care Program; Emergency 

Solutions Grants; HUD-VA Supportive 

Housing; Public Housing; Housing Choice 

Vouchers; Multifamily Housing Programs 

External Partners

US Interagency Council on Homelessness, 

Department of Veteran Affairs, Department 

of Labor

Objective 

Today’s housing affordability crisis creates additional 

headwinds for families experiencing homelessness who are 

trying to get back on their feet. This is especially true in rural 

communities and some West Coast communities that are 

losing ground.6 To meet the goal of making progress towards 

ending homelessness, our solutions must become more 

tailored to the geographic, economic, and service needs of 

families and individuals. 

The proof exists that we can end homelessness. To date, 

more than 60 communities and three states have declared 

an effective end to veteran homelessness; three communities 

have ended chronic homelessness. HUD will continue 

targeting homeless resources and other mainstream 

housing resources, and coordinating with local governments, 

businesses, and philanthropies. Using lessons from the work 

on veteran homelessness, these strategies will also be applied 

to all people experiencing homelessness. We will continue 

to learn from local communities that are rolling out innovative, cost-effective solutions and highlight these 

best practices. HUD will apply these lessons while enforcing federal fair housing and nondiscrimination laws 

and requirements to ensure all individuals and families experiencing homelessness, including vulnerable 

subpopulations, have equal access to HUD resources and other housing opportunities.

Strategies 

v Create an unsheltered homelessness strategy that targets technical assistance and other resources 

to communities that have had large increases in unsheltered homelessness.

v Implement cost-effective strategies across Continuum of Care (CoC) and other HUD-assisted housing 

resources that target resources to those with the highest need.

v Build capacity in rural communities to coordinate services and increase access for persons experiencing 

homelessness.

v Target HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) to the most vulnerable veterans experiencing 

homelessness. 

Metrics 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators.

v Length of homelessness 

This measure will track the national average length of homelessness in Continuums of Care.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

v Number of people experiencing homelessness

This measure will track the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Point-in-Time (PIT) 

count, a count taken on a single night in January each year. 

v Number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness 

This measure will track the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the Point-inTime (PIT) count.

Evidence 

HUD recently published a report on three-year follow up outcomes from the Family Options Study, a rigorous 

national evaluation of programs for families experiencing homelessness that demonstrated the power of 

priority access to deep housing subsidies to significantly reduce subsequent homelessness for families and 

improve their overall well-being. 7These findings support the approach of HUD-VASH to help the most 

vulnerable veterans. The recently completed HUD-VASH Exit study and the Veterans Homelessness Prevention 

Demonstration further support the critical interagency partnerships and show that HUD, VA, and DOL can 

serve veterans at-risk of and experiencing homelessness by working together to combine housing, case 

management, and employment services.8

HUD’s current research portfolio is designed around enhancing the capacity to meet a diverse set of needs 

and maximize use of available resources. PD&R is currently launching a study of technical assistance (TA) efforts 

to better understand how we can maximize the use of valuable TA resources in the future. HUD’s national 

study of the implementation and outcomes of the Rapid Re-Housing program also will be used to inform 

communities who deploy these housing resources. 

HUD is currently evaluating a range of innovative program models designed to meet the needs of key populations 

of interest. In partnership with the Department of Justice, HUD launched a Pay-for-Success demonstration 

designed to leverage external resources in providing permanent supportive housing to high-need, high-cost 

users of both the homeless assistance and justice systems. Additionally, in recognition of the growing need 

for services tailored to young adults and unaccompanied minors HUD is evaluating the Youth Homelessness 

Demonstration program, a unique partnership with leading community-based service providers across the 

country. We will use evidence to determine which programs and models to support.

7 Family Options Study 3-Year Impacts of Housing and Services Interventions for Homeless Families, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/family_options_study.html.

8 Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/veterans-homelessness-prevention-report.pdf.
18

FEBRUARY 2018

SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY

Balance our role to support homeownership while safeguarding the American taxpayer and modernizing our 

housing finance system.

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

Dana Wade 

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for the

Office of Housing

Contributing Program(s)

Federal Housing Administration, Office of 

Housing, Government National Mortgage 

Association

Objective 

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has long been a 

valuable source of affordable mortgage credit for first-time 

homebuyers. HUD continues to work with other Federal 

agencies, Congress, experts, and industry leaders to build 

a housing finance system that generates opportunity for 

Americans. HUD aims to help households acquire and build 

equity in homes they can afford, while strengthening FHA 

in order to safeguard taxpayers and ensure that it remains 

a sustainable source of affordable mortgage credit for firsttime homebuyers. HUD must balance this important mission 

with the need to remain financially and structurally viable in 

the future as part of a modern housing finance system, by bolstering the quality and sustainability of FHA 

mortgage insurance and lending in partnership with the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie 

Mae), whose guaranty provides access to global capital and makes mortgages more affordable for millions 

of Americans. 

HUD will modernize and reform its approach to serving the nation’s housing market through FHA by ensuring 

that our programs make sustainable homeownership possible for borrowers, work effectively for lenders, and 

are fiscally responsible. It will build a strong capital framework to enable FHA to withstand adverse economic 

conditions without relying on support from U.S. taxpayers. It will also launch a comprehensive review of 

lending and loan servicing standards and protocols, implement systems modernization, and undertake other 

reforms to ease needless, redundant or burdensome regulations. Providing clarity, certainty, and transparency 

in FHA’s business processes will benefit borrowers, lenders, and taxpayers.

HUD will support the Administration’s efforts to enact broader housing finance reform. Reforms will help build 

a modern housing finance system that reduces taxpayer risk while providing responsible borrowers, prepared 

for homeownership, access to affordable mortgage financing. Ginnie Mae’s expertise and capabilities as the 

administrator of a federal backstop for $2 trillion in mortgage-backed securities can help inform the housing 

finance policy discussion.

Strategies 

v Work with stakeholders and Congress to pursue housing finance reform that reduces the risk to 

taxpayers and expands the role of private capital and markets.

v Modernize FHA underwriting guidelines, lending standards, and servicing protocols to serve 

the needs of borrowers seeking sustainable homeownership, protect taxpayers, and ensure the stability 

of the program This will include improvements to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) and 

Ginnie Mae guaranteed mortgage-backed securities (HMBS) programs.

v Expand collaboration between FHA and Ginnie Mae to develop a “One HUD” approach to maximize 

the benefits of both programs and enhance risk management. This will happen alongside the Ginnie 

Mae 2020 Plan to maintain the Ginnie Mae program as the premier federal mortgage-backed security 

backstop to provide low-cost financing for borrowers.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

Metrics 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators:

v Capital Reserve Ratio 

This measure compares the “economic net worth” of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund to 

the dollar balance of active, insured loans at a point in time. 

v Early Payment Default Rate 

HUD will make sustainable loans that borrowers can afford. Early Payment Defaults (EPDs) occur 

when borrowers become 90 days or more delinquent on their FHA-insured mortgages within the first 

six payments. This measure is reflective of the credit quality of new endorsements and serves as an 

important early indicator of mortgage performance. 

v Percentage of new FHA-insured single-family mortgages that are first-time homebuyers

This measure computes the percentage of FHA single-family originations for which the borrower is a 

first-time homebuyer.

v FHA market-share of single-family mortgage originations (purchase, refinance, and total)

This measure tracks the share of the mortgage market for FHA in order to monitor FHA’s role in the 

housing market and potential crowding out of private capital.

v Higher Risk Loans

This measure will monitor the percentage of loans with higher risk features. Metrics include the share 

of FHA purchase loans with debt to income (DTI) ratios of >50% or with down payment assistance 

(DPA) and the share of FHA refinances that include cashouts.

v Housing Counseling 

HUD will determine appropriate metrics for measuring the effectiveness of its housing counseling 

program, and will begin a new data collection to establish a baseline.

Evidence 

HUD’s office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) produces quarterly reports on U.S. Housing Market 

Conditions and the monthly National Housing Scorecard to document the status of housing markets.9 Each 

year, the Department also prepares the Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Financial Status of the Mutual 

Mortgage Insurance Fund, which provides an important window for Congress and the American taxpayer into 

the financial performance of FHA. HUD recently published First-time Homebuyer Education and Counseling 

Demonstration: Early Insights, which documents the successful implementation of the first national experiment 

of homebuyer education and counseling. Reports on short-term impacts are being developed, and it will be 

possible to measure longer term impacts based on the rigorous design of the evaluation.

9 https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ushmc/home.html.
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FEBRUARY 2018

REMOVE LEAD-BASED PAINT HAZARDS AND OTHER HEALTH RISKS FROM HOMES 

10 Dewalt G, Cox D, O’Haver R, et al. Prevalence of Lead Hazards and Soil Arsenic in U.S. Housing. Journal of Environmental Health. 78(5):22-29, 

December 2015. www.neha.org/node/6429.

11 HUD-EPA Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Improving Communication About Certain Public and HUD-Assisted Multifamily Housing 

Near Superfund Sites. January 11, 2017. www.hudexchange.info/news/hud-entered-into-mou-with-epa-regarding-improving-communication-about-certain-public-and-hud-assisted-multifamily-housing-near-superfund-sites/.

12 Barnett SB and Nurmagambetov TA. Costs of Asthma in the Unites States: 2002–2007, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.127(1):145–152, January 2011. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21211649.

13 Bergen G, Chen LH, Warner M, and Fingerhut LA. Injury in the United States: 2007 Chartbook. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

National Center for Health Statistics. 2008. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/injury2007.pdf.

14 CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web–based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Accessed August 

15, 2013. www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/.

Protect the health of occupants by addressing lead-based paint and other health and safety hazards in housing. 

J Agency Priority Goal for FY 2018–19: Protect families from lead-based paint and other health hazards 

by making an additional 23,500 at-risk housing units lead-safe by the end of FY 2019. J

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

Matthew Ammon

Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control 

and Healthy Homes

Contributing Programs

Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control; Lead 

Hazard Reduction Demonstration; Healthy 

Homes

External Partners

Department of Health and Human 

Services, Environmental Protection Agency, 

Department of Agriculture

Objective 

HUD’s goal is to address lead-based paint and other health and 

safety hazards in housing for families and children. Through 

its programs, HUD has made nearly 400,000 homes lead-safe, 

contributing to a significant decline in blood-lead levels 

among US children in the past decade. Young children are 

especially at risk for the harmful effects of lead, to which even 

low-level exposure can increase the likelihood of behavioral 

problems, learning disabilities, seizures and in extreme cases, 

death. Today, our work must continue its focus on eliminating 

significant lead-based paint hazards that are present in an 

estimated 23 million American homes, including 1.1 million 

that house low-income families with one or more children 

under age 6. 10

HUD’s programs will also address additional health hazards 

and safety risks, such as asthma triggers, mold and moisture, 

and residential soil contamination.11 Medical expenses 

associated with asthma are estimated to be $50 billion annually.12 Older Americans are also vulnerable to 

fall-related injuries, with most falls occurring in the home.13 In fact, each year, 2.4 million seniors have an initial 

emergency department visit for injuries resulting from a fall.14 The cost associated with injuries from falls by 

seniors is projected to rise by nearly $60 billion by 2020. Communities are struggling to meet the health and 

safety-related housing needs of at-risk households. HUD will leverage its public-private partnerships and 

relationships in the health community to maximize the impact of its lead-safe and health housing investments. 

HUD studies have identified eight healthy housing principles: housing should be dry, clean, pest-free, safe, 

contaminant-free, well ventilated, well maintained, and thermally controlled. To meet these objectives, HUD 

will work assiduously to overcome any challenges to ensure that American homes are safe and healthy. 

Strategies 

v Increase community awareness of lead and other health and safety hazards in homes to increase 

participation in HUD and stakeholder programs and services.

v Align and enforce HUD-assisted housing inspections and mitigation measures to consistently 

address housing-related health and safety hazards across HUD-assisted housing programs.
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HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

v Design and deliver targeted lead and healthy homes programs through improvements in data quality 

and access.

v Leverage HUD’s relationships with stakeholders across public and private sectors to maximize 

the impact of every dollar invested in lead, health, and safety activities. 

v Advance the research agenda on the effects, evaluations and control of lead and other health and 

safety hazards in housing and the impacts on tenant health.

Metrics 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators.

v Number of at-risk housing units made healthy and lead-safe

This measure will track the number of targeted housing units made safe through Lead-Based Paint 

Hazard Control, Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration, Healthy Homes grants, and enforcement 

activities.

v Prevalence of children with elevated blood levels in communities with Lead Hazard Control 

grants

This measure will track the prevalence (number or percentage TBD) of children from birth to age 5 

exposed to lead in targeted, high-risk communities (i.e., communities where lead hazard control grant 

work is being conducted), and the overall reduction over time.

Evidence 

Analysis by HUD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of HUD tenant data linked with 

health survey data shows that children ages 1–5 who lived in HUD-assisted housing in 2005–2012 had 

lower lead blood levels than expected given their demographic, socioeconomic, and family characteristics,15

suggesting that HUD implementation of its lead hazard control regulations is effective in reducing exposure 

among children. A current PD&R in-house research effort using HUD’s American Housing Survey and Census’s 

American Community Survey data shows it is possible to identify neighborhoods with elevated risk for lead 

exposure, especially among children from birth to age 5. Such analysis has potential to improve targeting of 

HUD’s lead hazards grants and funded mitigation activities. 

The cost from asthma triggered by residential dampness and mold is approximately $3.5 billion annually.16

Reducing household allergens, which contribute to or trigger asthma and allergies, results in a return of 

$5.30-16.50 for every $1 invested in mitigation and prevention.17

Extensive studies have been conducted on the growing problem of senior falls (e.g., highlighting that falls 

are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries for those 65 years of age or older, with 2.4 million seniors having an 

initial emergency department visit for injuries from a fall annually18 ).The 2017 OLHCHH report, Overcoming 

Obstacles to Policies for Preventing Falls by the Elderly Final Report, recommends a range of ways for HUD and 

other government and philanthropic entities to help communities implement coordinated care policies and 

programs.

HUD also supports numerous research activities through contracts, partnerships, and OLHCHH Technical Studies 

grant programs. These grants and partnerships fund research to improve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness 

15 See Ahrens KA, Haley BA, Rossen LM, Lloyd PC, and Aoki Y. (2016). Housing assistance and blood lead levels in children in the United States, 

2005–2012. American Journal of Public Health, 106 (11):2049–2056. http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303432.

16 Mudarri D and Fisk WJ. Public health and economic impact of dampness and mold. Indoor Air. 17(3):226-35. 2007.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2007.00474.x/full.

17 Nurmagambetov TA et al. Economic Value of Home-Based, Multi-Trigger, Multicomponent Interventions with an Environmental Focus for 

Reducing Asthma Morbidity: A Community Guide Systematic Review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 41(2S1):S33– S47. 2011. www.

thecommunityguide.org/asthma/supportingmaterials/Asthma%20Econ.pdf or www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(11)00314-X/

fulltext.

18 CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web–based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Accessed August 

15, 2013. www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/.
22

FEBRUARY 2018

of methods for evaluation and control of residential lead-based paint and other housing-related health and 

safety hazards and site contamination hazards. HUD will use the findings from these studies to help improve 

and refine its approach towards achieving these goals.
23

HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

REIMAGINE THE WAY HUD WORKS
24

FEBRUARY 2018

STRATEGIC GOAL: REIMAGINE THE WAY HUD WORKS 

19 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) encourages agencies to “establish management-focused objectives that reflect key priorities of 

the agency, such as a significant effort to improve performance across the organization,” (OMB Circular No. A-11, Section 230-7). More information about these requirements can be found at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/assets/a11_current_year/

s230.pdf

HUD provides many crucial services to our nation and employs highly motivated people who want their work 

to have the greatest impact possible. Yet due to outdated technology, business processes, and structures, an 

employee’s work is sometimes harder to accomplish than it should be. Both customers and employees have 

expressed a desire for HUD to be more efficient, agile, and responsive. 

To meet this need, HUD will develop an enterprise-wide approach to employee empowerment and customer 

service that allows for fast and long-lasting change to its processes. A focus will be on enhancing fiscal controls 

to reduce waste without reducing service. Empowered employees, clear communication, and enhanced 

controls are all crucial to mission delivery. To better serve the American public, HUD must reimagine the way 

it does business. 

To meet this goal, HUD will pursue these strategic objectives:

v Rethink how we deliver services directly to our customers to increase consistency and accountability.

v Improve the way we work, enhance working conditions, empower employees, and equip managers 

with tools and training to be successful.

v Streamline and improve financial and grants management to reduce material audit weaknesses and 

increase transparency, to ensure strong stewardship of Federal resources.

These strategies, focused on human capital, financial management, information technology, internal controls 

and other services, will serve as HUD’s management objectives. 19
25

HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

ORGANIZE AND DELIVER SERVICES MORE EFFECTIVELY 

20 Grantees are currently required to reapply annually for competitive and non-competitive formula grants.

Rethink how we deliver services directly to our customers to increase consistency and accountability.

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

Pat Hoban-Moore

Field Office Director, Birmingham, AL

Objective 

HUD will examine interdependencies among HUD programs, 

customer needs, and employee expertise to determine 

the optimal geographic distribution of staff. Alignment of 

program management will prevent gaps and overlaps in 

responsibility while streamlining coordination. HUD will also 

examine and better align delegations of authority to improve 

program effectiveness. HUD will explore ways to strengthen 

communication among program offices in headquarters and 

the field, as the field is key to HUD’s success. The Department will implement human capital improvements to 

ensure HUD attracts, trains, and retains an efficient workforce with an accountability structure that accomplishes 

its mission. Additionally, the Department will improve technologies to allow staff to use their time and skills to 

achieve HUD’s mission. HUD will adopt a future grants management strategy that combines related programs 

and automates activities, freeing resources to enforce strong program oversight.

The Department plans to use data-driven decision-making to streamline service delivery and how we are 

organized. This will include establishing clearly defined program goals, roles, and individual responsibilities 

for outcomes. These operational improvements will encourage innovation, increase collaboration, bolster 

internal controls, and better enable HUD to deliver services to its customers. 

Strategies 

v Implement recommendations that emerge from a current state assessment to determine the optimal 

service delivery structure required to meet customer needs in the field, while closing key gaps in HUD’s 

current structure and empowering frontline program execution. 

v Develop talent management strategies to support workforce reshaping initiatives, and knowledge 

transfer through succession planning and training and leverage human capital analytics.

v Improve the hiring and human capital functions to reduce average time-to-hire and improve the 

quality of hires, to ensure HUD attracts, trains, and retains an efficient workforce with an accountability 

structure that accomplishes our mission. 

v Improve utilization of data by streamlining HUD’s data collection processes, creating common data 

definitions, and ensuring only necessary data are collected and reported. 

v Promote innovative IT service delivery, including modernizing IT infrastructure to enable on-theground staff to enhance program execution.

v Consolidate and streamline application processes for programs that experience little change in their 

pools of grantees from year-to-year. This will reduce staff time spent on processing Notices of Funding 

Availability by supporting biennial grantee re-certifications.20
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FEBRUARY 2018

Metrics 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators:

v Number of HUD mainframe systems decommissioned 

This measure will track the number of HUD mainframe systems that are decommissioned; after 

necessary data are transferred and standardized into HUD’s new cloud-based Enterprise Data 

Warehouse.

v Average of Employee IT Survey Satisfaction Score 

This measure will track employee satisfaction and feedback through an IT customer survey.

v Number of Enterprise IT Solutions Implemented 

This measure will track the number of enterprise-wide IT solutions that are implemented to 

streamline manual or cumbersome processes.

v Human Capital Dashboard and Customer Satisfaction Surveys 

This measure will track the average time it takes to hire employees and provide analyses of current 

and historical data for the Department to inform Talent Management strategies and decisions 

regarding the workforce. 

Evidence 

HUD has a history of utilizing partner satisfaction surveys to measure service delivery outcomes for eight 

partner groups such as housing providers, cities, lenders, and grantees.21 HUD will explore new mechanisms 

to obtain timely customer feedback while meeting Paperwork Reduction Act requirements and limiting 

burden on partners. 

21 See “Partner Satisfaction With HUD’s Performance: 2010 Survey Results and Trends Since 2005,” https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/

polleg/partnersatis_2011.html; “Partner Satisfaction with HUD’s Performance” (2006), https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/polleg/

partnersatis.html; “How’s HUD Doing: Agency Performance as Judged by Its Partners” (2001), https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/

polleg/hows_hud.html; and indicator E.16 in HUD FY 2008 Performance and Accountability Report.
27

HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

IMPROVE THE WAY WE WORK 

Improve the way we work, enhance working conditions, empower employees, and equip managers with tools 

and training to be successful.

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Lead 

Suzanne Tufts

Assistant Secretary for Administration

Objective 

Employee morale and ability to communicate with one 

another is crucial to mission delivery and enhanced work 

products. HUD will continue to increase transparency through 

communication and collaboration, clarifying roles and 

processes, enhancing employee engagement, and building 

trust. These efforts will lead to improved customer service 

and, eventually, better outcomes in American communities. 

HUD plans to develop a diverse, skilled, and accountable workforce that supports the Department’s current and 

future business needs. Managers will be held accountable for providing employee feedback, timely addressing 

performance and conduct deficiencies, fulfilling their EEO responsibilities as managers and employees of HUD, 

and ensuring meaningful differentiation in employee ratings based on relative performance. By providing 

employees with continuous learning and developmental opportunities, clear performance expectations, and 

opportunities for collaboration, HUD will foster an enhanced culture of accountability and performance to 

better serve the American public.

HUD also plans to modernize work environments within HUD offices to enhance employee morale and 

productivity. 

Strategies 

v Model a culture of accountability through enhanced employee performance management and 

assistance for managers in handling conduct and performance challenges.

v Expand leadership development opportunities across all levels through rotations, key project 

assignments, and development programs. Expand employee development opportunities to strengthen 

core and mission-critical occupational competencies.

v Identify and close existing and emerging competency gaps with effective human capital interventions 

designed to facilitate fulfilling agency vital mission imperatives and performance objectives. 

v Increase trust, engagement, and transparency in the department through clear communications of 

strategic efforts and departmental decisions, as well as supportive collaboration to accomplish our mission. 

v Modernize the space within HUD buildings to enhance employee productivity. Such improvements 

will focus on improving the employees’ physical environment and enhancing collaboration. 

v Equip employees with the tools they need to succeed, including laptops and dual monitors.

Metrics 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators:

v Number of competency gaps reduced across the Department 

This measure will monitor and track the competency gaps closed, the effectiveness of the 

human capital interventions employed to close competency gaps, and the relationship between 

competency gap closure and improved organizational performance. 

v Number of useable square feet (USF) reduced 

This measure will track the reduction in the amount of space occupied by HUD nationwide.
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FEBRUARY 2018

v InCompass performance management data 

This measure will track the number of managers who provide timely performance evaluations and 

successfully entered that information into our management tool, InCompass. 

v Engagement and performance metrics 

This measure will track metrics, as detailed in the Human Capital Operating Plan (HCOP), on 

leadership and employee development and learning opportunities, performance-related training for 

managers/supervisors, and performance-based actions.

v Number of pre-complaint resolutions occurring through traditional counseling, withdrawals, 

and the Alternate Dispute Resolution process

This measure will seek to increase the number of pre-complaint resolutions occurring through the 

Alternate Dispute Resolution process. 

Evidence 

Employee satisfaction surveys are the primary tool for tracking employee outcomes. HUD’s employee survey 

efforts22 have been conducted by the Office of Personnel Management, migrating from Organizational 

Assessment Surveys to the government-wide annual FEVS.23 The FEVS measures the degree to which 

employees’ morale, productivity, and satisfaction with training and career development opportunities improve. 

OCHCO conducts cyclical analyses of competencies essential for leadership positions, cross-cutting core skills 

requirements, and mission critical occupations (MCO), to identify and measure progress in closing gaps and 

to inform development needs at all levels.

22 See for example indicator 5.1.1 in HUD FY 2001 Performance and Accountability Report.

23 For the EVS, see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/data-analysis-documentation/employee-surveys/
29

HUD STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2022

STRENGTHEN FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CONTROLS 

24 HUD’s Agency Financial Reports are available at https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/cfo/reports/cforept.

Streamline and improve our financial and grants management to reduce material audit weaknesses and 

increase transparency, to ensure strong stewardship of Federal resources.

LEADING THE OBJECTIVE

Objective Leads 

Irving Dennis

Chief Financial Officer

External Partners

Shared Service Providers (e.g., Department 

of the Treasury, Department of Agriculture, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services)

Objective 

HUD plans to ensure strong stewardship of federal resources 

by streamlining and improving its financial and grants 

management. The Department will enhance financial resource 

management by re-engineering business processes and 

improving internal controls that impact financial reporting. 

Expanded efforts will address the challenges associated with 

dated IT infrastructure through increased use of shared service 

providers across business-line owners. 

Strategies 

v Coordinate with the Office of the Inspector General 

(OIG) to help determine the overarching issues driving 

audit findings and material weaknesses. Coordination will clearly define HUD’s baseline for addressing 

overarching issues and develop solutions for their remediation. HUD will focus remediation activities on 

the issues that have the greatest impact on the ability to obtain a clean audit opinion, and will develop, 

implement, and monitor the execution of detailed corrective action plans.

v Move towards a standardized grants management process and a single grants management system 

with an interface that is integrated with the financial system. 

Metrics 

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will use these performance indicators:

v Reduce significantly overdue audit recommendations 

HUD will seek to reduce the amount of outstanding significantly overdue audit recommendations 

(i.e., findings for which corrective actions have been delayed by a year or more). The goal for FY18 is a 

20 percent reduction of significantly overdue action items from FY17.

v Percentage of timely management decisions 

HUD will maintain the percentage of timely management decisions (i.e., agreed-upon plans to resolve 

audit findings) that are established by the prescribed Office of the Inspector General timeline.

v Number of grants systems in the Department 

HUD will track progress towards reducing the number of grants systems in an effort to consolidate all 

of the Department’s grant programs into an enterprise solution that will interface with HUD’s financial 

system.

v Number of grants reported under the Grants Oversight and New Efficiency (GONE) Act

HUD will track progress towards reducing the number of grants that have been expired for two or 

more years and have not been closed out.

Evidence 

Closing open audit recommendations timely will have the effect of reducing material weaknesses going forward. 

Material weaknesses are measured annually by the OIG and included in HUD’s Agency Financial Report.24 
30

FEBRUARY 2018

CROSS-AGENCY PRIORITY GOALS

Established by the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goals are a tool used by the 

Administration to accelerate progress on a limited number of Presidential priority areas where implementation 

requires active collaboration between multiple agencies, overcoming organizational barriers to achieve better 

performance than one agency can achieve on its own.

Set or revised at least every four years, CAP Goals include outcome-oriented goals that cover a limited number 

of crosscutting policy areas as well as management goals focused on management improvements across the 

Federal Government in areas of financial management, strategic human capital management, information 

technology management, procurement and acquisition management, and real property management.

A series of Administration-wide CAP Goals will be determined during FY 2018. Each goal will feature: 

clearly-named accountable officials; data-driven reviews that incorporated a broad range of quantitative 

and qualitative inputs; and reporting to the public through a common website as a framework to drive 

performance improvements on cross-government collaboration and tackle government-wide management 

challenges affecting most agencies.

Please refer to https://www.performance.gov/ for the Department’s contributions and progress towards 

the CAP Goals, where applicable. 
www.hud.gov