U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIC PLAN 2014–2018

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIC PLAN 2014–2018

APRIL 2014
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

MESSAGE FROM THE 

SECRETARY

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

Development’s (HUD’s) Strategic Plan 2014–2018. The goals 

outlined in this document are designed to achieve a central goal: 

expanding opportunity for all Americans. 

This work has arguably never been more important. When 

President Obama took office in 2009, the Great Recession had 

already devastated communities across the country. Millions of 

Americans had their lives turned upside down, losing jobs, savings, 

and homes. Optimism for the future had dimmed and dreams had 

been deferred. 

Over the past 5 years, the Obama Administration has worked 

tirelessly to address these challenges by building ladders of 

opportunity that give families a fair chance to lift themselves 

up, rebuild after the crisis, and better their lives. HUD has been 

committed to doing its part, whether it is assisting homeowners in 

fighting off foreclosure, enhancing access to affordable housing, 

or revitalizing distressed communities. In total, these and other 

measures have worked, helping to turn around the housing market 

and fuel the overall U.S. economic recovery. 

To build on this progress, HUD’s Strategic Plan 2014–2018 lays 

out priorities and goals to accelerate the gains already made 

and ensure a crisis of this magnitude never occurs again. The 

first component is strengthening the nation’s housing market to 
MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY

spur economic growth and protect consumers. 

We will continue to bolster the Federal Housing 

Administration’s mission of ensuring that qualified 

homebuyers have access to credit and push for a 

housing finance system that maintains the careful 

balance between responsibility and opportunity.

Another priority is meeting the great need for 

quality, affordable rental housing. According 

to the latest HUD “Worst Case Housing Needs” 

study, nearly 8.5 million families with very low 

incomes pay more than half their monthly income 

for rent, live in substandard housing, or both. The 

demand for action is growing, which is why we 

will continue to look for innovative ways, working 

with partners, to both preserve and produce 

affordable rental housing for families. In addition, 

we will continue to help the most vulnerable 

communities, including those experiencing 

homelessness and trapped in poverty. Stable 

housing is an important tool in helping 

households achieve other life outcomes, and we 

are working every day to give families access to 

these opportunities. 

Finally, through efforts like Choice Neighborhoods 

and Promise Zones, working with partners at 

the federal and local levels, we strive to build 

strong and inclusive communities that connect 

housing with other important community 

assets: good jobs, quality schools, and safe 

streets. With this comprehensive approach, we 

will turn neighborhoods with problems into 

neighborhoods with promise, giving more 

families a chance to thrive and succeed. 

In total, HUD’s Strategic Plan 2014–2018

represents an opportunity agenda. By giving 

more families a fair shot at fulfilling their promise, 

we strengthen communities and our nation as a 

whole. HUD looks forward to working with a wide 

variety of partners to achieve the goals outlined 

in this document. Working together, we can help 

secure opportunities for all Americans. 

 Shaun Donovan

vii

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS

SECTION 1: AGENCY AND MISSION.................................1

SECTION 2: STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC 

OBJECTIVES.......................................................................7

Strategic Goal 1: Strengthen the Nation’s Housing Market 

To Bolster the Economy and Protect Consumers...................10

Strategic Objective 1A: Housing Market................................12

Strategic Objective 1B: Credit Access....................................13

Strategic Objective 1C: FHA’s Financial Health......................15

Strategic Goal 2: Meet the Need for Quality, Affordable 

Rental Homes .........................................................................17

Strategic Objective 2A: Rental Investment ............................18

Strategic Objective 2B: Rental Alignment..............................19

Strategic Goal 3: Use Housing As a Platform To Improve 

Quality of Life.........................................................................21

Strategic Objective 3A: End Homelessness...........................22

Strategic Objective 3B: Economic Prosperity ........................24

Strategic Objective 3C: Health and Housing Stability ...........26

Strategic Goal 4: Build Strong, Resilient, and Inclusive 

Communities ..........................................................................28

Strategic Objective 4A: Fair Housing.....................................30

Strategic Objective 4B: Green and Healthy Homes...............31

Strategic Objective 4C: Disaster Resilience ...........................33

Strategic Objective 4D: Community Development ...............34
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

Achieving Operational Excellence: Management 

Challenges and Objectives ....................................................36

Acquisitions ............................................................................38

Departmental Clearance ........................................................40

Equal Employment Opportunity ............................................41

Financial Management ...........................................................42

Grants Management ..............................................................43

Human Capital........................................................................44

Information Management.......................................................46

Organizational Structure ........................................................47

SECTION 3: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ......................49
1

SECTION 1. AGENCY AND MISSION

1AGENCY AND MISSION

SECTION
2

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

INTRODUCTION

This document presents the U.S. Department of Housing 

and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Strategic Plan for 

fiscal years (FY) 2014 through 2018. HUD was created 

as a cabinet-level agency in 1965. Its mission is to create 

strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, 

affordable homes for all. To provide a framework for 

the delivery of HUD’s mission and vision, the Strategic 

Plan outlines a set of strategic goals, objectives, and 

performance measures. Simply put, this plan serves as a 

guide for what the Department will achieve, how we will 

achieve it, and how we will measure our success. 

Over the past 4 years, HUD has aimed to engage new local and 

federal partners, adjust our policies and programs to better serve 

the American people, address common problems across a broader 

metropolitan geography, and transform the way we do business. 

HUD has been committed to doing its part in preventing foreclosures, 

enhancing access to affordable housing, and revitalizing distressed 

communities. To build on this progress, this Strategic Plan 2014–2018

lays out priorities and goals to accelerate the gains already made.

From strengthening the nation’s housing market to using housing 

as a platform for improving quality of life, this Strategic Plan is 

designed to achieve the central goal of expanding opportunity for 

all Americans. Each of these strategic goals requires HUD to scale 

up local innovations, lead the charge, and set the pace for change. 

The Strategic Plan 2014–2018 will guide the agency in meeting the 

urgent housing and development needs of communities for the 

years to come.
3

SECTION 1. AGENCY AND MISSION

• Learn more about HUD’s major organizational units and 

program offices. 

• Learn more about HUD’s regions and field offices. 

In carrying out its work on each of its strategic goals, HUD is 

committed to the following core values:

• Accountability: We individually and collectively take 

responsibility for our performance and conduct.

• Efficiency and Effectiveness: We will maximize our resources and 

efforts to continually improve the efficiency and effectiveness of 

our individual and collective performance. We strive for simplicity 

in our lines of authority and clarity in our lines of communication 

and strive to eliminate the red tape of bureaucracy. We support 

a productive work environment that balances high performance 

with the need for healthy personal and community life.

• Fairness and Respect: We value each other, demonstrate 

compassion for those we serve, and treat others the way we 

would like to be treated. In respecting others, we conduct our 

work and administer our programs with fairness and justice and 

with a commitment to civil rights, inclusion, and diversity.

• Integrity: We approach each other, our stakeholders, and our 

work with honesty and the highest ethical standards.

• Teamwork: We work together in a spirit of camaraderie, trust, 

and collaboration. We believe that by contributing our individual 

strengths we can accomplish more together than separately. We are 

open minded, ready to adapt, and willing to embrace innovation 

and creativity when confronting challenges in our workplace.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

HUD’S MISSION IS TO CREATE 

STRONG, SUSTAINABLE, 

INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES AND 

QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOMES 

FOR ALL.

Our vision is to improve lives and 

strengthen communities to deliver 

on America’s dreams. Therefore, 

we pledge—

• For our residents: We will improve lives 

by creating affordable homes in safe, 

healthy communities of opportunity and 

by protecting the rights and affirming the 

values of a diverse society.

• For our partners: We will be a flexible, 

reliable problem solver and source of 

innovation.

• For our employees: We will be a great 

place to work, where employees are valued, 

mission driven, results oriented, innovative, 

and collaborative.

• For the public: We will be a good 

neighbor, building inclusive and sustainable 

communities that create value and investing 

public money responsibly to deliver results 

that matter.
5

SECTION 1. AGENCY AND MISSION

SECRETARY

DEPUTY SECRETARY

Chief of Staff

Asst. Secretary for 

Public Affairs

Asst. Secretary for 

Congressional & 

Intergovernmental 

Relations

Center for Faith-Based 

& Neighborhood 

Partnerships

Asst. Secretary for 

Housing/Federal 

Housing 

Administration

Asst. Secretary for 

Community 

Planning & 

Development

Asst. Secretary for 

Public & Indian 

Housing

Asst. Secretary for 

Fair Housing & 

Equal Opportunity

President, 

Government 

National Mortgage 

Association

Office of Lead 

Hazard Control & 

Healthy Homes

Asst. Deputy 

Secretary for Field 

Policy & 

Management

Asst. Secretary for 

Policy Development 

& Research

Chief Operating 

Officer

Chief Information 

Officer

Chief Human

Capital Officer

Chief Procurement 

Officer

Office of Strategic 

Planning & 

Management

Office of

Departmental Equal 

Employment 

Opportunity

Office of Small & 

Disadvantaged 

Business Utilization

General Counsel

Inspector General

Chief Financial Officer

HUD ORGANIZATION AND REPORTING STRUCTURE
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018
7

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

SECTION 2 STRATEGIC GOALS AND 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
8

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

HUD’S FY 2014–2018 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

Mission: Create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities 

and quality, affordable homes for all.

Strategic Goal 1

Strengthen the Nation’s 

Housing Market To Bolster 

the Economy and Protect 

Consumers

Strategic Goal 2 

Meet the Need for Quality, 

Affordable Rental Homes 

Strategic Goal 3

Use Housing As a 

Platform To Improve 

Quality of Life

Strategic Goal 4

Build Strong, Resilient, and 

Inclusive Communities

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Strategic Objective 1A 

Establish a sustainable 

housing finance 

system that provides 

support during market 

disruptions, with a 

properly defined role for 

the U.S. government.

Strategic Objective 2A 

Ensure sustainable 

investments in affordable 

rental housing.

Strategic Objective 3A 

End homelessness 

for veterans, people 

experiencing chronic 

homelessness, families, 

youth, and children.

Strategic Objective 4A 

Reduce housing 

discrimination, affirmatively 

further fair housing 

through HUD programs, 

and promote diverse, 

inclusive communities. 

Strategic Objective 1B 

Ensure equal access 

to sustainable housing 

financing and achieve a 

more balanced housing 

market, particularly 

in underserved 

communities.

Strategic Objective 2B

Preserve quality, 

affordable rental housing 

where it is needed 

most by simplifying and 

aligning the delivery of 

rental housing programs.

Strategic Objective 3B 

Promote advancements in 

economic prosperity for 

residents of HUD-assisted 

housing.

Strategic Objective 4B 

Increase the health and 

safety of homes and 

embed comprehensive 

energy efficiency and 

healthy housing criteria 

across HUD programs. 

Strategic Objective 1C 

Restore the Federal 

Housing Administration’s 

financial health, while 

supporting the housing 

market recovery and 

access to mortgage 

financing. 

Strategic Objective 3C 

Promote the health 

and housing stability of 

vulnerable populations.

Strategic Objective 4C 

Support the recovery 

of communities from 

disasters by promoting 

community resilience, 

developing state and local 

capacity, and ensuring 

a coordinated federal 

response that reduces 

risk and produces a more 

resilient built environment.

Strategic Objective 4D 

Strengthen communities’ 

economic health, 

resilience, and access to 

opportunity. 
9

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES

1.Improve HUD’s acquisitions performance through early collaborative planning and enhanced 

utilization of acquisition tools.

2.Reduce the time and complexity of the clearance process by establishing and enforcing clear 

protocols for drafting and reviewing documents placed in departmental clearance.

3.Promote a diverse and inclusive work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment by 

educating the workforce on the overall Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process and their 

EEO responsibilities as managers and employees of HUD.

4.Increase accuracy, speed, transparency, and accountability in financial management and 

budgeting for the agency.

5.Make the grants management process more efficient and effective by automating and 

streamlining processes, improving timeliness, and tracking performance.

6.Employ, develop, and foster a collaborative, high-performing workforce that is capable of 

continuing to deliver HUD’s mission in a changing and uncertain future.

7. Make high-quality data available to those who need it, when they need it, where they need it, to 

support decisionmaking in furtherance of HUD’s mission.

8.Reduce the cost of leased space, utilities, travel, and other related costs by adapting our 

business processes.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC GOAL 1: STRENGTHEN 

THE NATION’S HOUSING MARKET 

TO BOLSTER THE ECONOMY AND 

PROTECT CONSUMERS

The state of the housing market plays a large role in stabilizing 

our neighborhoods and strengthening our national economy. 

That is why the downturn of the housing market—with high rates 

of foreclosure, increases in vacant properties, and plummeting 

home values—was so devastating for families and communities 

alike. Although the largest factors contributing to this crisis were 

market driven—including a slowdown in the growth of home 

prices, increased high-risk subprime and predatory lending, 

and lax underwriting standards—the American people turned to 

Congress and the Administration for leadership and action in 

righting our nation’s housing market. Since the crisis, HUD has 

played a critical role in this federal recovery strategy—helping 

American families keep their homes and stabilizing neighborhoods 

hard hit by foreclosure. HUD seeks to continue to build upon 

this federal leadership and take a comprehensive approach to 

tackle the housing crisis by supporting mortgage finance reform 

legislation. As the housing market continues to recover, HUD 

will focus on ensuring underserved communities have access to 

credit while managing risk to the Federal Housing Administration 

(FHA) portfolio and doing so in a way that encourages more 

private investment in the housing market. This work will put HUD 

in a strong position to minimize the negative impact of any future 

market disruptions.
11

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Strategic Objective 1A: Establish a sustainable housing finance 

system that provides support during market disruptions, with a 

properly defined role for the U.S. government.

• Strategic Objective 1B: Ensure equal access to sustainable 

housing financing and achieve a more balanced housing market, 

particularly in underserved communities.

• Strategic Objective 1C: Restore the Federal Housing 

Administration’s financial health, while supporting the housing 

market recovery and access to mortgage financing. 
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1A:

HOUSING MARKET

Establish a sustainable housing finance 

system that provides support during 

market disruptions, with a properly 

defined role for the U.S. government.

OVERVIEW

HUD will work with other agencies, Congress, 

and stakeholder groups to create a sustainable 

housing system. In doing so, HUD aims to 

minimize taxpayer risk by fostering private 

capital as a primary source of liquidity and to 

focus governmental participation to a more 

targeted market of underserved borrowers while 

still allowing it to maintain its countercyclical 

role. The right solution will ensure continued 

access to homeownership and multifamily 

investment opportunities for creditworthy 

borrowers while avoiding the problem of private 

gains and public losses.

STRATEGIES

• Create a legislative framework to wind down 

the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE)

in a measured and careful manner. Through 

this strategy, HUD intends to foster the 

increased participation of private capital and 

to insulate taxpayers from losses. At the same 

time, access to credit must be maintained. In 

order to accomplish this, HUD will work with 

Administration partners to lend its expertise in 

shaping legislative reform.

• Develop the necessary reforms to focus the 

FHA on maintaining access to capital for 

homeowners and multifamily project owners 

through all economic cycles. HUD will work 

to update regulations to allow for access to 

financing for creditworthy borrowers even 

during economic downturns.

• Shape the regulatory landscape through 

rulemakings. New rules will enhance access 

to financing for creditworthy borrowers 

and promote the revival of the private-label 

mortgage sector. This new landscape will also 

include enhanced safety mechanisms for both 

consumers and investors. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Edward Golding

Senior Advisor on Housing Finance

Office of the Secretary

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will track the following performance indicator. 

• Overall market share of private capital, GSEs, 

and FHA 

This measure will track the share of the 

mortgage market for private lenders, GSEs 

(Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), and FHA in 

order to observe FHA’s role in the housing 

market and the balance of the housing market.
13

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1B:

CREDIT ACCESS

Ensure equal access to sustainable 

housing financing and achieve a more 

balanced housing market, particularly in 

underserved communities.

OVERVIEW

As we recover from the recent downturn in 

the housing market, equal access to housing 

financing for creditworthy borrowers in 

underserved communities continues to be 

difficult to obtain. For existing homeowners, 

seriously delinquent loans and underwater loans 

make it difficult to sell or refinance their home. 

For homebuyers, tighter underwriting standards 

related to additional lender requirements for FHA 

loans and increased downpayment requirements 

make it harder to obtain a loan. These 

challenges have disproportionately affected 

first-time, minority, and low-to-moderate income 

homebuyers and homeowners. HUD will work to 

ensure that these underserved groups have the 

ability to get financing.

STRATEGIES

• Clarify underwriting standards in order 

to minimize uncertainty in marketplace.

Increased clarity will encourage access to 

credit and inhibit risky lender activity. HUD will 

improve current policies and communicate 

transparent enforcement and performance 

standards to industry and stakeholders.

• Evaluate and align program policies with 

risk tolerance and mission to ensure we can 

help fulfill HUD’s mission of providing quality, 

affordable housing. This will be achieved by 

balancing access/affordability, market factors, 

and the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) 

Fund in setting price and credit policy.

• Ensure HUD’s Housing Counseling Program 

reaches as many households as possible, 

particularly in underserved areas, so that more 

households receive information regarding fair 

housing and fair lending. HUD will do this by 

making housing counseling grants available 

to housing counseling agencies as soon after 

appropriation as possible and tracking how 

many housing counseling clients gain access to 

resources to help them improve their housing 

situation due to counseling services. 

• Finalize prospective quality assurance 

framework and retrospective lender quality 

assurance enforcement actions to reduce market 

uncertainty and improve access to credit.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Kathleen Zadareky

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single 

Family Housing

Office of Housing

Sarah Gerecke

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing 

Counseling

Office of Housing

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, 

HUD will monitor completion of the following 

performance indicators. 

• FHA share of originations

This measure will show the percentage of 

mortgage originations in the housing market 

that were made by FHA.

• Percentage of loans endorsed with credit 

score < 680

This measure will track the percentage of FHA 

loans endorsed that have borrowers with a 

credit score under 680.

• Percentage of loans endorsed with credit 

score < 680 that evidence successful 

homeownership over the first 5 years
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

• HUD’s Housing Counseling Program 

clients served

This measure will track the number of 

clients counseled through the HUD Housing 

Counseling Program.

• Percentage of housing counseling clients 

who gain access to resources to improve their 

housing situation

This measure will track the percentage of 

housing counseling clients who gain access 

to resources to help them improve their 

housing situation (for example, downpayment 

assistance, rental assistance) as a direct result 

of receiving housing counseling services.
15

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1C: 

FHA’S FINANCIAL HEALTH

Restore the Federal Housing 

Administration’s financial health, while 

supporting the housing market recovery 

and access to mortgage financing.

OVERVIEW

A strong FHA is critical to the recovery of the 

housing market and our economy at large. The 

mortgage insurance provided by FHA has made 

financing available to individuals and families not 

adequately served by the conventional private 

mortgage market. The MMI Fund is the largest 

fund covering activities of FHA. The recession 

put substantial strain on the MMI Fund as private 

capital retreated and FHA played a countercyclical 

role to support the broader housing market. 

Over time, FHA has experienced significant 

swings in its market share as it has stepped in to 

provide capital for qualified borrowers who would 

otherwise be shut out of the mortgage market. 

In addition, the severe decline in house prices, 

the sluggish performance of the economy, and 

the behavior of some lending partners resulted 

in increased FHA losses that drove its excess 

capital reserve ratio1 below the congressionally 

mandated 2-percent level.

STRATEGIES

• Restore FHA’s excess capital reserve ratio to 

the congressionally mandated 2-percent level 

by 2016. Strengthen FHA’s book of business 

through policy reforms and minimize losses on 

existing books.

• Continue loss mitigation efforts in order to 

prevent foreclosures. Focus on effective and 

1 The capital ratio compares the “economic net worth” of the 

MMI Fund to the dollar balance of active, insured loans, at a 

point in time. Economic net worth is defined as a net asset 

position, where the present value of expected future revenues 

and net claim expenses is added to current balance sheet 

positions. The capital ratio computation is part of an annual 

valuation of the outstanding portfolio of insured loans at the 

end of each fiscal year. 

proactive loss mitigation. HUD will track the 

effectiveness of these efforts by measuring the 

number of homeowners who redefault after 

receiving assistance.

• Maximize Real Estate Owned (REO) recovery 

rate by enhancing contractor performance 

through use of a scorecard and implementing 

a best execution model across all asset 

disposition options.

• Increase the number of FHA-insured 

mortgages for which the borrower received 

either prepurchase or postpurchase housing 

counseling in order to improve outcomes for 

FHA-insured borrowers and strengthen the 

health of the MMI Fund.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Kathleen Zadareky

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single 

Family Housing

Office of Housing

Sarah Gerecke

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing 

Counseling 

Office of Housing 

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following performance indicators. 

• Asset disposition recovery rate

This is the net recovery rate that FHA 

realizes on the sale of assets as a percentage 

of claim payment.

• Percentage of modifications resulting in 

redefaults within 6 months of closing 

This measure will track the percentage of 

borrowers that become 90 days or more 

delinquent on their loans within 6 months 

of receiving a loan modification/FHA 

Home Affordable Modification Program 

(HAMP) modification.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

• Loss mitigation uptake

This is the percentage of loss mitigation actions 

taken as a percentage of serious delinquencies.

• Number of FHA-insured mortgages benefiting 

from housing counseling

This is the number of FHA borrowers that 

receive prepurchase or postpurchase 

counseling. 

• Capital Reserve Ratio

The capital reserve ratio compares the 

“economic net worth” of the MMI Fund to the 

dollar balance of active, insured loans, at a 

point in time. Economic net worth is defined 

as a net asset position, where the present 

value of expected future revenues and net 

claim expenses is added to current balance 

sheet positions. The capital reserve ratio 

computation is part of an annual valuation of 

the outstanding portfolio of insured loans at 

the end of each fiscal year.
17

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC GOAL 2: MEET THE NEED 

FOR QUALITY, AFFORDABLE RENTAL 

HOMES

Renters in America face serious difficulty finding affordable 

housing in a broad range of communities because of the dual 

problems of a shortage of units in some areas and a lack of income 

to afford units in the existing market. Despite the units of housing 

provided through HUD’s programs, the supply of affordable 

and available rental housing in America is insufficient. Moreover, 

the number of families struggling to make ends meet in the 

face of severe rent burdens continues to increase. HUD remains 

committed to providing rental assistance to poor households 

within this challenging environment. 

• Strategic Objective 2A: Ensure sustainable investments in 

affordable rental housing.

• Strategic Objective 2B: Preserve quality, affordable rental 

housing where it is needed most by simplifying and aligning the 

delivery of rental housing programs.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2A:

RENTAL INVESTMENT

Ensure sustainable investments in 

affordable rental housing.

OVERVIEW

According to the latest American Community Survey 

(ACS), the number of households earning under 

$15,000 a year and paying more than one-half their 

incomes for housing increased by 1.5 million from 

2007 to 2010, nearly doubling the increase from 

2001 to 2007. The scale of this problem, and others 

presented in the Worst Case Housing Needs 20112

study, requires major strategic decisions. As worst 

case housing needs continue to increase and the 

level of housing assistance remains relatively flat, the 

gap between the number of assisted units and the 

number of households with severe housing needs 

has never been wider and will continue to grow 

unless the level of private investment into affordable 

housing grows. Currently, for every very low-income 

household that receives rental assistance, there are 

nearly two very low-income households with worst 

case housing needs. Individuals and families are 

considered to have “worst case housing needs” 

when they have incomes below 50 percent of 

the Area Median Income (AMI), do not receive 

government assistance, and pay more than one-half 

their income on rent, live in severely inadequate 

conditions, or face both of these challenges.

STRATEGIES

• Pursue housing finance reform legislation. 

HUD will continue working with Administration 

partners and Congress to support housing 

finance reform legislation that provides 

liquidity and capital to support affordable 

rental financing and that creates a dedicated, 

budget-neutral financing mechanism to 

support affordable rental housing and access 

to homeownership for low-income families.

• Implement the Housing Trust Fund and support 

the Capital Magnet Fund. The Housing and 

2

 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2013 

(August); Worst Case Housing Needs 2011: Report to Congress.

Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) required 

the establishment and management of a Capital 

Magnet Fund and a Housing Trust Fund, the 

latter to be directed by the Secretary of Housing 

and Urban Development. The Housing Trust 

Fund is to be supported by amounts that may be 

appropriated, transferred, or credited to such 

fund under any other provision of law. HERA 

specified that the funds would come from Fannie 

Mae and the Freddie Mac. That plan, however, 

was delayed as a result of the financial challenges 

of those agencies. As these entities restore their 

fiscal health and as the Administration works with 

Congress on enacting comprehensive housing 

finance reform legislation, or capitalizing the 

Housing Trust Fund with direct appropriations, 

this strategic objective will assist in moving both 

initiatives forward.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Benjamin Metcalf 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily 

Housing

Office of Housing

Yolanda Chavez

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs

Office of Community Planning and Development

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

HUD will track performance on the following 

performance indicators. 

• Number of households experiencing “worst 

case housing needs,” prepared using 

American Housing Survey (AHS) data and 

defined by a long-term series of reports 

designed to measure the scale of critical 

housing problems facing very low-income, 

unassisted renters. (key measure)

• Proportion of very low-income renters facing 

severe rent burdens, prepared using ACS data. 

(contextual indicator)

• Percentage of rental units built in the preceding 

4 years that had rents below $800, which are 

affordable for the median renter, prepared using 

AHS data. (contextual indicator)
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SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2B:

RENTAL ALIGNMENT

Preserve quality, affordable rental 

housing where it is needed most by 

simplifying and aligning the delivery of 

rental housing programs.

OVERVIEW

During the past 75 years, the federal government 

has invested billions of dollars in the development 

and maintenance of affordable public and 

multifamily housing. Despite the sizable investment 

and the great demand for affordable rental 

housing, units continue to be lost. While some 

units have been lost because of their deteriorated 

physical condition, others, both publically and 

privately owned, have been removed from the 

affordable inventory because of owners’ decisions 

or because periods of affordability have expired. 

Some multifamily housing programs either have 

no option for owners to renew their subsidy 

contracts with HUD or cannot renew on terms 

that attract sufficient capital to preserve longterm affordability. Moreover, the public housing 

stock faces an estimated $26 billion capital needs 

backlog that will be difficult to meet given federal 

fiscal constraints. 

HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) 

makes it possible for public housing agencies 

(PHAs) to address the immediate and longer term 

capital repair and replacement needs of their 

properties, preserving these deeply affordable 

rental homes. RAD allows access to private funding 

sources by allowing PHAs and owners of moderate 

rehabilitation, rent supplement, and rental 

assistance payment developments to convert to 

long-term Section 8 rental assistance contracts. 

The preservation of an even broader range of 

HUD-assisted properties will be facilitated by the 

establishment of a Recapitalization Office that 

will handle a variety of complicated preservation 

transactions, providing a “one stop shop” for 

owners in order to minimize program complexity, 

from their perspective. Moreover, HUD’s 

participation in the White House Rental Policy 

Working Group has spurred improvements in 

rental housing across agencies, particularly in the 

area of unit physical inspections and HUD’s Real 

Estate Assessment Center’s role.

 STRATEGIES

• Establish the Recapitalization Office to 

reposition HUD-assisted multifamily and public 

housing assets to revitalize neighborhoods 

and preserve affordable housing to improve 

opportunities for residents. The office will bring 

staff and programs used by common partners 

together to support affordable housing and 

improve neighborhoods, including RAD, 

Choice Neighborhoods, HOPE VI, mixedfinance public housing, demolition/disposition, 

Promise Zones, Mark-to-Market, Section 202 

and 236 transactions, and other recapitalization 

activities. This office will better integrate 

place-based initiatives and provide more useful 

interactions with our external partners who are 

using programs throughout HUD to develop 

and reposition their assets. 

• Develop and adopt a uniform asset 

management model across program 

platforms and divisions, considering existing 

legislative and regulatory requirements. 

By using both property-level oversight and 

counterparty entity oversight, a uniform asset 

risk assessment management model will help 

to ensure consistent timely interventions and 

minimize risk. 

• Revise the Real Estate Assessment Center’s

scoring system, timeframes, and operation of 

physical and financial assessments of HUDassisted properties.

• Support the development and preservation of 

affordable housing through FHA Multifamily 

Mortgage Insurance, in conjunction with other 

funding or financial resources, such as through 

the FHA Low-Income Housing Tax Credit 

(LIHTC) pilot.
20

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

• Ensure that the households currently being 

served by HUD rental assistance programs are 

able to remain housed.

• Create a proactive asset management 

approach to work with owners prior to 

contract expiration/mortgage maturity 

to develop a preservation strategy for 

the property. 

• Preserve units, maintain high occupancy 

and utilization rates, and reduce the number 

of units converted to market-rate housing.

• Implement and expand RAD to preserve and 

transition existing affordable HUD-assisted 

rental units to the Section 8 platform. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Benjamin Metcalf

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Office of Multifamily Housing

Ophelia Basgal

Region IX Administrator

(California/Pacific/Hawaii)

Lindsey Reames

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field 

Operations

Office of Public and Indian Housing

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

HUD will monitor performance of the following 

performance indicators.

ØFiscal Year 2014–2015 Agency Priority 

Goal: Between October 1, 2013, and 

September 30, 2015, HUD aims to preserve 

and expand affordable rental housing 

through its rental housing programs.

• Number of families served through HUD 

rental assistance (key indicator) 

• Number of units converted using RAD 

(supporting indicator)

• Housing choice voucher utilization rate 

(supporting indicator)

Other Measures:

• Number of units managed under the 

uniform asset management mode

• Number of inspections saved through 

inspection sharing 

• Public Housing occupancy rate

• Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) 

occupancy rate
21

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: USE HOUSING 

AS A PLATFORM TO IMPROVE 

QUALITY OF LIFE

Stable housing, made possible with HUD support, provides an 

ideal platform for delivering a wide variety of health and social 

services. Through interagency partnerships at the federal, state, and 

local levels, HUD will use housing as a platform for coordinating 

access to a wide variety of services to lower healthcare costs, end 

homelessness, and support community living. In addition to the 

moral imperative to end human suffering caused by homelessness, 

there are compelling economic reasons for investing in efforts to 

eradicate this complex social problem. To achieve this goal, HUD 

will continue to partner with local, state, and federal organizations, 

including the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), to 

deploy evidence-based interventions, such as supportive housing, 

housing first, and rapid rehousing, to more effectively and efficiently 

use the nation’s limited resources to bring an end to homelessness.

• Strategic Objective 3A: End homelessness for veterans, people 

experiencing chronic homelessness, families, youth, and children.

• Strategic Objective 3B: Promote advancements in economic 

prosperity for residents of HUD-assisted housing.

• Strategic Objective 3C: Promote the health and housing 

stability of vulnerable populations.
22

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3A: 

END HOMELESSNESS

End homelessness for veterans, people 

experiencing chronic homelessness, 

families, youth, and children.

OVERVIEW

HUD’s annual “Point-in-Time” estimates measure 

the scope of homelessness on a single night in 

January of each year. Based on data reported by 

more than 3,000 cities and counties, the January 

2013 one-night estimate reveals a 24-percent 

drop in homelessness among veterans and 

a 16-percent reduction among individuals 

experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness 

since 2010. HUD’s estimate also found the largest 

decline in the number of persons in families 

experiencing homelessness since the Department 

began measuring homelessness in a standard 

manner in 2005. Overall, a total of 610,042 

people experienced homelessness in the United 

States on a single night in January 2013. 

Homelessness among unaccompanied youth is 

a hidden problem, which HUD and its partners 

are taking steps to solve. Some subpopulations 

of youth are at particularly high risk for 

homelessness, including youth aging out of foster 

care and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 

queer, and questioning youth.

In 2010, the Obama Administration released 

Opening Doors,

3 the first ever comprehensive 

federal strategic plan to prevent and end 

homelessness. The goals of the plan are 

to prevent and end veterans’ and chronic 

homelessness by 2015, to prevent and end 

homelessness for families, youth, and children 

by 2020, and to set a path to ending all types of 

homelessness. HUD remains committed to the 

goals of Opening Doors, but to reach them the 

pace of current efforts must accelerate. Over the 

next 5 years, HUD will work with its partners to 

3 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 

Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End 

Homelessness (June 2010). 

deploy the solutions that we know are effective 

for the right persons, such as rapid rehousing 

and permanent supportive housing. These tools 

must be informed by a Housing First approach, 

whereby preconditions and barriers to housing 

entry are removed and people move into housing 

as quickly as possible. 

STRATEGIES

• Implement the Homeless Emergency 

Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing 

(HEARTH) Act with a focus on technical 

assistance for prioritized access to housing 

and use of community data to manage 

performance. This includes reallocation of 

transitional housing to permanent supportive 

housing, prioritizing people experiencing 

chronic homelessness for permanent 

supportive housing units made vacant through 

turnover, and increasing the number of rapid 

rehousing opportunities for families. 

• Fully engage and leverage mainstream 

housing assistance, including housing choice 

vouchers, public housing, HOME Investment 

Partnerships and Community Development 

Block Grants (CDBG), and multifamily 

housing. We will build capacity among PHAs 

and multifamily owners to admit homeless 

households into their units and provide them 

with vouchers. 

• Improve data and performance management

through strategies to share data across systems, 

adoption of a common data standard for housing 

stability, and use of Homeless Management 

Information Systems (HMIS) by homeless 

programs funded by the U.S. Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS).

• Continue to strengthen collaborations at all 

levels of government and with the private 

sector, including within HUD and with USICH, 

the VA, HHS, the U.S. Department of Labor, 

the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), and others. 
23

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Implement USICH Framework to End Youth 

Homelessness, including integrating HMIS and 

Runaway and Homeless Youth Management 

Information systems, leveraging HUD’s Point-inTime count to improve strategies for counting 

youth, and developing a national study that 

builds on program data and the HUD count that 

includes household surveys to get to a confident 

national estimate of youth homelessness.

• Promote implementation of coordinated 

assessment systems for Continuums of Care

through training, technical assistance, and 

guidance by the Office of Special Needs 

Assistance Programs to better target resources. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Jennifer Ho

Senior Advisor on Housing and Services

Office of the Secretary

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, 

HUD will monitor completion of the following 

performance indicators. 

ØFiscal Year 2014–2015 Agency Priority 

Goal: In partnership, the U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban Development and 

the Department of Veterans Affairs aim to 

reduce the number of veterans living on 

the streets, experiencing homelessness 

to zero (as measured by the 2016 Point-inTime count).

• Total homeless veterans temporarily 

living in shelters or transitional housing 

(key measure)

This metric will be measured by the annual 

Point-in-Time count, a count of homeless 

persons on a single night in January 

each year.

• Total veterans living on the streets, 

experiencing homelessness (key measure)

This metric will be measured by the annual 

Point-in-Time count, a count of homeless 

persons on a single night in January 

each year.

• Veterans placed in permanent housing 

(supporting measure shared by VA 

and HUD)

This includes moves into the HUD-Veterans 

Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) 

Program, rapid rehousing placements 

through the Supportive Services for 

Veteran Families (SSVF) program, and 

moves from VA residential treatment 

programs into permanent housing. 

• Homeless veterans served with transitional 

housing through Continuum of Care 

resources (supporting measure; HUD only)

• Homeless veterans served with 

permanent supportive housing through 

Continuum of Care resources (supporting 

measure; HUD only)

Other Measures:

• Individuals experiencing chronic homelessness

• Number and percentage of permanent 

supportive housing units targeted to individuals 

experiencing chronic homelessness

• Families experiencing homelessness

• Admissions of new homeless families into 

HUD-assisted housing

• Percentage of Emergency Solutions Grant 

dollars dedicated to rapid rehousing for 

homeless families
24

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3B:

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

Promote advancements in economic 

prosperity for residents of HUDassisted housing.

OVERVIEW

Residents of HUD-assisted housing often face 

challenges such as lack of employable skills and 

low educational attainment levels that limit their 

ability to become economically self-sufficient and 

rise out of poverty. The Department recognizes 

that, while some families and individuals will need 

assistance for longer periods, others are capable, 

with assistance, of rising out of poverty. A majority 

of adults receiving rental assistance who are 

able to work have some income from wages; 

however, they are most often in the lowest paying 

jobs. Further, increasing workplace demands for 

technical expertise require attention to education 

and training for both adults and youth, including 

digital literacy. HUD will utilize its housing 

platform to expand access to employment and 

educational services. HUD seeks to significantly 

increase the economic opportunities available to 

low-income residents in neighborhoods where 

it invests, particularly through the Family SelfSufficiency (FSS) program and Section 3.4

STRATEGIES

• Build evidence on effectiveness of programs 

that promote economic self-sufficiency

by evaluating the FSS program through a 

randomized controlled trial by 2018. 

• Implement an evidence-based evaluation 

to improve reentry outcomes for formerly 

incarcerated individuals and their 

communities. HUD will assess models that 

deliver permanent supportive housing linked 

with employment, behavioral health services, 

and family unification. HUD is considering 

4 The Section 3 program requires that recipients of certain 

HUD financial assistance, to the greatest extent possible, 

provide job training, employment, and contract opportunities 

for low- or very low-income residents in connection with 

projects and activities in their neighborhoods.

options ranging from an evaluation of existing 

PHA reentry programs to an interagency 

effort that would involve leveraging private/

philanthropic investments to support 

permanent supportive housing plus services 

within a pay-for-success framework.

• Expand the Section 3 Business Registry 

system nationwide. A five-city pilot, started 

in FY 2012 in Detroit, Miami, New Orleans, 

Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., provides 

HUD funding recipients with access to a 

registry of self-certified local Section 3 

businesses and has demonstrated promising 

results in increasing contracts awarded to 

Section 3 businesses. Expanding the registry 

nationwide will be supported with training, 

HUD guidance, and marketing to increase 

awareness of this resource.

• Strengthen collaboration between HUD 

programs to ensure recipients have adequate 

guidance and technical assistance and 

that HUD has a coordinated approach to 

compliance. Section 3 compliance is overseen 

by HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal 

Opportunity (FHEO), but funding is distributed 

to recipients through other program offices, 

including the Office of Public and Indian 

Housing (PIH), the Office of Community 

Planning and Development (CPD), and the 

Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy 

Homes. Increased coordination, with both 

providing technical assistance and resolving 

compliance issues, will increase the impact 

that Section 3 has on communities and be 

responsive to the Office of Inspector General 

(OIG) audit findings. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Janet Hostetler

Senior Advisor

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Dominique Blom

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public 

Housing Investments

Office of Public and Indian Housing 
25

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following performance indicators.

• Percentage of participants enrolled in the FSS 

program who have increased wages. 

The Section 3 program requires that recipients 

of certain HUD financial assistance, to the 

greatest extent possible, provide job training, 

employment, and contract opportunities for lowor very-low income residents in connection with 

projects and activities in their neighborhoods. The 

following metrics are related to Section 3.

• Percentage of Section 3 residents hired, of 

total hiring that occurs as a result of Section 

3-covered HUD funding

• Percentage of total dollar amount of 

(construction and nonconstruction) contracts 

awarded to Section 3 businesses by covered 

HUD funding

• Percentage of Section 3-covered funding 

recipients who timely meet reporting, hiring, 

and contracting requirements

• Number of self-certified Section 3 businesses 

in HUD’s registry nationwide
26

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3C:

HEALTH AND HOUSING STABILITY

Promote the health and housing stability 

of vulnerable populations.

OVERVIEW

Many residents of HUD-assisted housing face 

health-related challenges, especially elderly 

people, people with disabilities, homeless 

people, and those individuals and families at 

risk of becoming homeless. New studies of the 

health status of HUD residents show that they 

have higher rates of chronic health conditions 

and higher utilization of hospitals and emergency 

rooms than peer comparison groups. Some may 

have a criminal record, a history of homelessness, 

be making the transition out of military service 

back into civilian life, or be transitioning out of 

healthcare treatment settings. 

In 2013, one out of every six Americans did not 

have health insurance. Hardworking families in 

HUD housing may not get insurance from their 

employers, and they may not make enough 

money to afford a plan for their family. Without 

health insurance, families risk forgoing necessary 

preventive care or facing economic catastrophe 

from a major illness. 

In January 2014, many more affordable insurance 

options became available through the new health 

insurance marketplaces, including, in those states 

that have opted in, an expansion of Medicaid. 

When residents of HUD-assisted housing also 

have health insurance, they gain an additional 

stepping stone to better health and financial 

security. This makes for healthier, stronger 

households and communities. 

The Affordable Care Act can help as many as 40 

million currently uninsured Americans find greater 

peace of mind and financial stability that will help 

them work toward their own goals and dreams. 

Access to health insurance is important, but so 

too is access to health care. As the healthcare 

system develops new tools to provide better care 

at a lower cost, new partnerships are needed 

between housing and the healthcare system. 

Additionally, work led by the United States 

Department of Justice (DOJ) and HHS related to 

enforcement of and compliance with the Supreme 

Court’s Olmstead decision5 reinforces the rights 

of individuals with disabilities to live, work, 

and receive services in the greater community 

in the most integrated setting appropriate to 

their needs. As a result of Olmstead, there is 

a significant need for affordable, integrated 

housing opportunities where individuals with 

disabilities are able to live and interact with 

individuals without disabilities. Achieving this goal 

requires an increase in the supply of integrated 

housing options so that individuals have 

meaningful choice in where they live, including 

housing without services and supportive housing 

with access to voluntary services. 

HUD also helps protect the health of residents 

of assisted multifamily and public housing from 

both direct and environmental (that is, secondand third-hand) tobacco smoke exposure by 

encouraging owners of assisted housing and 

PHAs to issue and implement smoke-free policies 

and by providing outreach and technical support. 

The Department will enhance those efforts to help 

reduce the extent of this public health problem 

among residents of its housing portfolio.

 STRATEGIES

• Promote health and financial stability of 

vulnerable populations by identifying 

opportunities to determine eligibility for 

Medicaid automatically or routinely. HUD will 

use income information collected in HUD-funded 

programs and partner with state Medicaid 

programs and health insurance navigators.

• Build evidence on effective models for coupling 

services with housing and modify existing and 

future programs to reflect best practices. 

• Improve performance management by 

enhancing HUD’s collection and analysis of 

5 Olmstead v. L.C., 57 U.S. 581 (1999) 
27

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

data pertaining to health-related outcomes 

across HUD-assisted housing programs. Also 

improve HUD’s ability to integrate and/or 

conduct administrative data matches with other 

partner federal programs.

• Assist with enforcement and implementation 

of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision,

in collaboration with HHS, DOJ, and state 

agencies, through facilitating expansion of 

integrated housing opportunities for people 

with disabilities transitioning out of institutions/

at risk of institutionalization, including people 

experiencing homelessness. 

• Increase the number of PHAs that have issued 

smoke-free policies. In accordance with 

recommendations by the Surgeon General,6,7

and the systematic review by the HHSchartered Task Force on Community Preventive 

Services on the effectiveness of smoke-free 

policies,8 the public health of residents of 

public housing, both smokers and nonsmokers, 

is improved when the management issues and 

implements a smoke-free policy. Research by 

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

indicates that such policies in assisted housing 

are associated with cost savings.9 HUD will 

expand its encouragement of such policies 

through notices, guidance, outreach, and 

technical support and will track the issuance and 

implementation of smoke-free policies by PHAs.

6 The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: 

A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014; www.surgeongeneral.

gov/library/reports/50-years-of-progress/index.html 

7 Reducing Tobacco Use. A Report of the Surgeon General, 2000; 

www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2000/index.htm

8 Task Force on Community Preventive Services. The Guide 

to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote 

Health?, 2005; www.thecommunityguide.org/tobacco/

Tobacco.pdf 

9 King BA, Peck RM, Babb SD. Cost Savings Associated 

with Prohibiting Smoking in U.S. Subsidized Housing. Am 

J Prev Med. 2013 Jun;44(6):631-4; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

pubmed/23683981 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Jennifer Ho 

Senior Advisor on Housing and Services

Office of the Secretary

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following performance indicators.

• Number of successful transitions from 

institutions through Section 811 Project Rental 

Assistance Program

• Percentage of HUD-assisted residents with 

public or private health coverage (source:

National Health Interview Survey)

• Number of PHAs with smoke-free 

housing policies
28

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC GOAL 4: BUILD STRONG,

RESILIENT, AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES

Housing and community development efforts must address 

a complex network of individual, social, economic, and 

environmental factors in order to promote more diverse, inclusive 

communities and improve the sustainability of neighborhoods, 

communities, and regions. Many of the neighborhoods hit hardest 

by the housing and economic crisis—those with the highest rates 

of foreclosure and job loss—have been racially isolated and among 

the least sustainable, with limited access to economic opportunity, 

the longest commuting times to jobs, the most homes that pose 

health risks, and the poorest quality schools. 

It is crucial that the federal government and its local partners 

effectively coordinate policies related to community development, 

climate change, energy efficiency, transportation, and disaster 

preparedness. Today we know that “place” influences outcomes—

the place where a person lives is a reliable predictor of his or her 

long-term health, education, and employment outcomes. Families 

and individuals living in concentrated poverty experience greater 

inequity and often, as a result, more dismal outcomes. 

Residents of these neighborhoods have limited access to 

transportation, face health hazards in their homes and communities, 

suffer from the poorest schools, and have the fewest economic 

opportunities. In many areas, the spatial mismatch between housing 

and transportation investments limits access to decent employment 

and education opportunities for entire neighborhoods. This not only 
29

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

impacts the lives of residents in those communities, but the resulting 

need to travel greater distances to connect to these resources has 

a clear impact on the environment as well—from wetland and open 

space lost to sprawling development patterns to ever increasing 

greenhouse gas emissions. 

To address these problems, Goal 4 focuses explicitly on “place;” on 

preparing communities for the future of their economy, environment, 

and community development, through enhanced planning, 

enforcement, and capacity building—so that all communities are 

livable for residents and viable in the long term. 

The following strategic objectives provide a roadmap for 

accomplishing this goal: 

• Strategic Objective 4A: Reduce housing discrimination, 

affirmatively further fair housing through HUD programs, and 

promote diverse, inclusive communities.

• Strategic Objective 4B: Increase the health and safety of homes 

and embed comprehensive energy efficiency and healthy 

housing criteria across HUD programs.

• Strategic Objective 4C: Support the recovery of communities 

from disasters by promoting community resilience, developing 

state and local capacity, and ensuring a coordinated federal 

response that reduces risk and produces a more resilient 

built environment.

• Strategic Objective 4D: Strengthen communities’ economic 

health, resilience, and access to opportunity.
30

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4A: 

FAIR HOUSING

Reduce housing discrimination, 

affirmatively further fair housing through 

HUD programs, and promote diverse, 

inclusive communities.

OVERVIEW

HUD seeks to significantly increase the number of 

housing providers, lenders, members of the real 

estate community, and others that fully comply 

with the Fair Housing Act and other applicable 

fair housing and civil rights laws and do not 

discriminate on any basis prohibited by those laws 

and regulations. While housing discrimination 

still takes on blatant forms in some instances, 

it has become more subtle and sophisticated 

through the years, resulting in underreporting and 

complicating effective enforcement. 

In addition to enforcement, HUD works 

proactively to make access to important 

neighborhood assets measurably fairer, to 

significantly increase the economic opportunities 

available to low-income residents in 

neighborhoods where HUD invests, and to ensure 

that policies and practices are in place to provide 

equal access to persons with disabilities.

STRATEGIES

• Ensure compliance with civil rights and 

economic opportunity requirements by 

providing high-quality technical assistance 

and training to stakeholders. Over the coming 

4 years, HUD will provide technical assistance 

on fair housing and civil rights laws and 

program requirements, such as the obligation 

to affirmatively further fair housing, Section 3, 

Title VI, Section 504, and other areas of civil 

rights compliance so that HUD grantees have 

enough information and guidance to comply 

with civil rights requirements. This will include 

increasing technical assistance on fair housing 

issues and more effectively embedding civil 

rights requirements into other technical 

assistance offered by HUD. 

• Reduce discrimination by educating 

housing providers and by publicizing the 

consequences of violating the law. In the 

coming 4 years, HUD will target housing 

providers, lenders, real estate agents, 

apartment managers, and others who work in 

the housing industry for training and outreach 

to educate them on their responsibilities under 

the Fair Housing Act and other applicable 

fair housing and civil rights laws, in order to 

improve compliance with those laws. HUD will 

expand availability of fair housing educational 

material for industry representatives and 

consumers through website offerings. 

HUD will also strategically use press, public 

engagement, and other education and 

outreach techniques to deter discrimination.

• Stop discrimination through strong 

enforcement of the law against violators, with 

a particular focus on systemic cases (those 

matters involving widespread discrimination 

affecting multiple people), more meaningful 

case outcomes, and enforcement strategies 

that identify and change widespread policies 

and practices.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Bryan Greene

Acting Assistant Secretary

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, 

HUD will monitor progress on the following 

performance indicators.

• Number of people receiving remedies through 

Fair Housing Act enforcement work and 

number of people per case

• Monetary relief per case received through Fair 

Housing Act enforcement work (for cases with 

relief less than $100,000)
31

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4B: 

GREEN AND HEALTHY HOMES

Increase the health and safety of homes 

and embed comprehensive energy 

efficiency and healthy housing criteria 

across HUD programs.

OVERVIEW

HUD has committed to creating energy-efficient, 

green, and healthy housing as part of a broader 

effort to foster the development of inclusive, 

sustainable communities. The residential sector 

is responsible for fully 21 percent of the nation’s 

greenhouse gas emissions. HUD itself spends an 

estimated $6.4 billion annually on utilities (both 

water and energy) in the form of allowances for 

tenant-paid utilities, direct operating grants for 

public housing, and housing assistance payments 

for privately owned assisted housing. Utility costs 

account for around 22 percent of public housing 

operating budgets and a similar share in the 

assisted housing sector. 

Reducing these rising costs—generating 

savings for residents and owners, as well as for 

taxpayers—is a key HUD priority. Housing is also 

an important determinant of health, and poor 

housing conditions are associated with a wide 

range of health conditions, including respiratory 

infections, asthma, lead poisoning, injuries, and 

other housing-related health hazards. Significant 

progress has been made over the past 4 years 

with completed energy retrofits, healthy housing 

interventions, or new energy projects in more 

than 360,000 housing units. 

From 2014–2018, HUD aims to continue to 

focus on energy and health investments in 

HUD-assisted housing, as well as in marketrate housing, to support the goals of President 

Obama’s Climate Action Plan to cut energy waste 

in half by 2030 and accelerate clean energy 

leadership. We will reduce barriers to financing 

energy efficiency as well as onsite renewable 

energy, help unlock innovative and traditional 

sources of capital, and raise the bar on codes and 

standards that promote energy efficiency and 

healthy housing. 

STRATEGIES

HUD’s strategies to address this goal fall into 

three distinct related areas: strengthening energy 

efficiency and renewable energy, enhancing 

safe and healthy housing, and strengthening 

environmental reviews.

Boost Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

• Strengthen HUD’s programs and policies 

to meet the President’s goal of cutting 

energy waste in half by 2030 in new 

and existing HUD-assisted housing. This 

includes continuing to update energy codes 

and standards; implementing a green 

Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) in public 

housing and an analogous Capital Needs 

Assessment e-tool in multifamily housing; and 

supporting the adoption of comprehensive 

utility benchmarking protocols across 

HUD’s portfolio. This strategy will help HUD 

stakeholders reduce energy consumption and 

improve building performance. This will be 

accomplished through voluntary efforts such 

as the Better Buildings Challenge, partnerships 

with the U.S. Department of Energy, the 

Environmental Protection Agency, USDA, and 

other federal agencies, and leveraging HUD’s 

technical assistance resources.

• Implement national partnerships to triple the 

amount of onsite renewable energy across the 

federally assisted housing stock by 2020. This 

joint effort of HUD, USDA, and the Department 

of the Treasury will for the first time focus 

on solar and renewable energy in federally 

assisted housing, by implementing a key goal 

of the President’s Climate Action Plan, to reach 

100 megawatts—equivalent to the energy used 

by over 30,000 homes10—of on-site renewable 

energy in federally assisted housing. 

10 http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/reports/2009/

consumption-down.cfm?src=‹%20Consumption-f3 
32

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

• Overcome barriers to leveraging private 

sector and other innovative sources of capital 

for energy efficiency and renewable energy 

investments. HUD, in concert with federal 

and state partners, will help expand the pool 

of private and public capital investment for 

energy efficiency and renewable energy 

programs across the residential spectrum.

Enhance Safe and Healthy Housing

• Expand housing management practices that 

protect the health of residents. 

• Investigate HUD’s existing methods to assess 

the physical condition of assisted housing 

for potential improvements in identifying 

defects shown to adversely impact health.

HUD’s existing physical condition assessment 

methods focus on traditional physical safety 

hazards, which may miss certain recognized 

conditions that can result in health hazards. 

Consistent with the Surgeon General’s Call 

to Action to Promote Healthy Homes,11 HUD’s 

Leading Our Nation to Healthier Homes: The 

Healthy Homes Strategic Plan,

12 and the federal 

Advancing Healthy Housing: A Strategy for 

Action,13 HUD will conduct a review of existing 

physical condition assessment methods for 

potential improvements in identifying health 

hazards. This review will include HUD’s physical 

condition assessment protocols, such as the 

Uniform Physical Condition Standards for 

Voucher Programs (UPCS-V).

Strengthen Environmental Reviews

• Strengthen the environmental review process.

HUD will strengthen the environmental 

review process to require resilient projects 

by pursuing rulemaking to require flood 

mitigation in special flood hazard areas. 

Furthermore, HUD will ensure that building 

11 http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/healthyhomes/

index.html

12 http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/library/hhi/hh_strategic_

plan.pdf

13 http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_

offices/healthy_homes/advhh

occupants are safe from hazards, such as 

radon, through clarification and enforcement 

of HUD’s regulatory requirement that all 

projects are free of contaminants and hazards 

that could affect the health and safety of 

occupants. Finally, through continued support 

of and emphasis on a thorough and complete 

environmental review, HUD will be supporting 

safe, sustainable projects that have a minimal 

negative impact on the environment.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Trisha Miller

Senior Advisor, Office of Economic Resilience 

Office of Community Planning and Development

Matthew Ammon

Acting Director

Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following performance indicator. 

ØFiscal Year 2014–2015 Agency 

Priority Goal:

• Number of HUD-assisted or HUDassociated units completing energyefficient and healthy retrofits or new 

construction 

To assess our progress toward increasing 

the energy efficiency and health of the 

nation’s housing stock, HUD tracks the 

number of new or retrofitted housing 

units that are healthy, are energy efficient, 

or meet green building standards. This 

measure tracks the number of retrofits and 

units of new construction meeting energy 

efficiency and/or healthy home standards.
33

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4C:

DISASTER RESILIENCE

Support the recovery of communities 

from disasters by promoting community 

resilience, developing state and local 

capacity, and ensuring a coordinated 

federal response that reduces risk 

and produces a more resilient 

built environment.

OVERVIEW

Helping to increase communities’ resilience is 

integral to national preparedness and the mission 

of HUD. This effort is consistent with the goals and 

objectives of Presidential Policy Directive PPD8 (National Preparedness) and Executive Order 

13653 (Preparing the United States for the Impacts 

of Climate Change). Over the next 5 years, HUD 

will continue to support and expand programs 

and initiatives designed to increase and enhance 

preplanning, research, infrastructure investment, 

partnerships, and crosscutting coordination related 

to disaster response, recovery, and resilience. This 

work will involve the combined efforts of HUD’s 

program offices and federal, state, local, and 

private-sector partners and will incorporate HUD’s 

civil rights, energy, environment, and diversity 

goals and responsibilities. 

 STRATEGIES

• Build resilience strategies into HUD programs,

promoting the use of resilient housing, 

community development, land use planning, 

and infrastructure investment patterns, and 

foster innovations in resilient rebuilding based 

on the latest data on current and future risk 

to ensure the most effective use of federal 

resources and reduce risks to all communities.

• Increase capacity of state and local 

governments to plan for and implement longterm recovery and rebuilding and encourage 

increased private and community investment 

and research in disaster recovery capabilities.

• Facilitate the effective use of postdisaster 

housing resources, while ensuring full 

compliance with applicable fair housing and 

civil rights laws, to restore and strengthen 

homes and provide families with safe, 

affordable housing options and to reduce the 

impacts of future disasters.

• Promote regional coordination to ensure 

that community infrastructure investments 

are resilient, environmentally and fiscally 

sustainable, and delivered without delay.

• Improve data collection and information 

sharing across and by federal, state, and local 

entities to bolster disaster preparedness and 

response and recovery efforts.

• In partnership with other federal agencies, 

lead and advance the National Disaster 

Recovery Framework to ensure that interagency 

federal disaster recovery efforts are effectively 

coordinated and that the recommendations in 

the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force’s 

Rebuilding Strategy are fully implemented for 

the Sandy recovery and, where applicable, for 

national programs and efforts.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Harriet Tregoning

Director, Office of Economic Resilience

Office of Community Planning and Development

Yolanda Chavez 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs

Office of Community Planning and Development

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will track the following performance indicator. 

Further metrics are under development. 

• Percentage of Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding 

Task Force recommendations related to 

disaster recovery and resilience that have 

been implemented
34

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4D:

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Strengthen communities’ economic health, 

resilience, and access to opportunity.

OVERVIEW

If hard-working people who play by the rules are to 

get ahead, they need to be able to access quality 

education and decent jobs, from a foundation 

of security in basic needs like personal safety, 

housing, and food. Creating such environments 

requires collaboration among organizations with 

different roles and specialties at the local level, and 

federal agencies that are able to provide crosssector support. Neighborhood, municipal, and 

regional environments that can attract investment 

and also support children and families are the 

backbone of inclusive and resilient economic 

growth. Building on the community’s institutional, 

financial, human, and physical capital is vital to 

economic growth and bolsters resiliency in times 

of disaster or downturn.

Local networks among the private sector, 

government, and community leaders can be 

particularly effective at creating lasting solutions. 

The federal role is to support and complement 

the private sector, civic institutions, states, and 

localities, not to supplant their efforts. An effective 

federal role is to catalyze private investment and 

market discipline by addressing market failures, 

frictions, and gaps. HOME and Community 

Development Block Grants, the two major formula 

grant programs that support housing, community, 

and economic development, provide a strong 

foundation for these place-based federal efforts. 

HUD participates in several interagency placebased initiatives that focus existing funding more 

effectively and create incentives for collaboration 

across organizational, jurisdictional, and sectoral 

lines. Such initiatives support communities in 

improving their growth potential and the quality 

of life and opportunities for their residents. 

STRATEGIES

• Promise Zones build on the Administration’s 

neighborhood revitalization work by 

accelerating the progress of high-poverty 

communities whose stakeholders have joined 

in a collaborative strategy with a shared 

commitment to results. These communities 

will create jobs, increase economic activity, 

reduce serious and violent crime, and 

improve educational opportunities to develop 

communities that serve as launching pads for 

their residents, as opposed to traps where 

poor conditions and isolation undermine the 

potential for success.

• Choice Neighborhoods grants support 

locally driven strategies to address struggling 

neighborhoods with distressed public or HUDassisted housing through a comprehensive 

approach to neighborhood transformation. 

Local leaders, residents, and stakeholders, 

such as PHAs, cities, schools, police, business 

owners, nonprofits, and private developers, 

come together to create and implement 

a plan that transforms distressed HUD 

housing and addresses the challenges in the 

surrounding neighborhood. The program is 

designed to catalyze critical improvements 

in neighborhood assets, including vacant 

property, housing, services, and schools.

• Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2)

addresses the issue of reduced municipal 

capacity, which makes it more difficult for 

community leaders to use existing federal 

funds to their maximum potential in economic 

revitalization strategies. The capacity of 

cities and counties represents a crucial 

opportunity for federal intervention, because 

local governments receive direct allocations 

of formula grant funding and their elected 

leadership often exerts substantial influence on 

the governance of other local bodies receiving 

important grant allocations. Poor municipal 

capacity affects the quality and function of 

federally funded services in multiple activities 
35

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

that contribute to—or harm—a community’s 

ability to attract investment and create access to 

opportunity for its residents. SC2 supports local 

leaders in creating a solid foundation for growth.

• The Partnership for Sustainable Communities

administers planning grants, technical 

assistance, and support for implementation 

projects to regional organizations and 

municipalities to plan infrastructure and 

housing investments in such a way that they 

channel growth, reduce transportation 

inefficiencies, and promote environmental 

quality. When implemented effectively, such 

plans make neighborhoods more prosperous, 

enhance economic competitiveness, and save 

households and businesses time and money 

on transportation, substantially improving the 

bottom line of business and the quality of life. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Valerie Piper 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic 

Development

Office of Community Planning and Development

Harriet Tregoning

Director, Office of Economic Resilience

Office of Community Planning and Development

Mark Linton

Executive Director

Strong Cities, Strong Communities 

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

HUD is developing metrics and milestones to 

track progress on this objective, and will publish 

these metrics and milestones in its annual 

amendment to this Strategic Plan.
36

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

ACHIEVING OPERATIONAL 

EXCELLENCE: MANAGEMENT 

CHALLENGES AND OBJECTIVES

In order for HUD to achieve its program goals, HUD’s operations 

must be efficient, be effective, and serve customer needs. 

Therefore, HUD plans to achieve operational excellence by 

improving planning, processes, accountability, and transparency 

and also by developing and using customer feedback mechanisms.

In addition to the management objectives that follow, HUD is 

committed to contributing to achievement of performance goals 

that are major priorities for the federal government as a whole. Per 

the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization 

Act requirement to address Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) goals in the 

agency strategic plan, the annual performance plan, and the annual 

performance report, please refer to www.performance.gov for the 

agency’s contributions to these goals and progress, where applicable.

Acquisitions: Improve HUD’s acquisitions performance through early 

collaborative planning and enhanced utilization of acquisition tools.

Departmental Clearance: Reduce the time and complexity of the 

clearance process by establishing and enforcing clear protocols for 

drafting and reviewing documents placed in departmental clearance.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Promote a diverse and inclusive 

work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment 

by educating the workforce on the overall Equal Employment 

Opportunity (EEO) process and their EEO responsibilities as managers 

and employees of HUD.
37

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Financial Management: Increase accuracy, speed, transparency, and 

accountability in financial management and budgeting for the agency.

Grants Management: Make the grants management process more 

efficient and effective by automating and streamlining processes, 

improving timeliness, and tracking performance.

Human Capital: Employ, develop, and foster a collaborative, highperforming workforce that is capable of continuing to deliver HUD’s 

mission in a changing and uncertain future.

Information Management: Make high-quality data available 

to those who need it, when they need it, where they need it, to 

support decisionmaking in furtherance of HUD’s mission.

Organizational Structure: Reduce the cost of leased space, utilities, 

travel, and other related costs by adapting our business processes.
38

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

ACQUISITIONS

Improve HUD’s acquisitions 

performance through early 

collaborative planning and enhanced 

utilization of acquisition tools.

OVERVIEW

The Office of the Chief Procurement Officer 

(OCPO) is responsible for all HUD procurement 

and procurement-related activities. The acquisition 

process can be lengthy, partially due to necessary 

compliance with statutes, policies, and procedures. 

OCPO sees an opportunity to streamline the 

acquisition process and increase customer 

satisfaction by mapping out the process and 

identifying and removing non-value added steps. 

In this challenging economic environment, 

OCPO also seeks to maximize the value of every 

taxpayer dollar and ensure opportunities for 

small businesses. To accomplish this, OCPO is 

committed to using internal and external acquisition 

vehicles specifically established to leverage HUD’s 

and the government’s buying power, maximize 

opportunities for small business, and increase the 

successful outcomes of acquisitions. 

STRATEGIES

• Streamline the acquisition process. OCPO 

will work to reengineer HUD’s Government 

Technical Representative program to comply 

with the Federal Acquisition Institute’s 

Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting 

Officer Representative (FAC-COR) model, 

professionalize the COR job series, and 

streamline preaward and postaward acquisition 

processes. As part of this effort, OCPO will 

lead a cross-functional team to map detailed 

acquisition processes, identify and eliminate 

non-value added steps, assess the risks 

associated with their removal, and increase 

customer satisfaction in the process. The 

cross-functional acquisition team will include 

representation from HUD program offices and 

support offices. OCPO will ensure compliance 

with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and 

the HUD Acquisition Regulations, Section 

508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) and 

Small Business Administration policies, and 

Government Accountability Office findings 

during the analysis process.

• Increase opportunities for small business.

Improve HUD’s small business opportunities 

through enhanced market research and 

early collaborative planning. OCPO and the 

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business 

Utilization (OSDBU) will develop acquisition 

tools and procedures to enhance market 

research, fostering identification of a broader 

base of small businesses with core disciplines 

consistent with HUD’s mission. These tools 

will be launched through a multieducational 

approach to the acquisition workforce, 

including instruction, simulation, case studies, 

and experiential sharing. 

• Optimize the use of acquisition strategies.

Utilize internal and external acquisition vehicles 

that leverage HUD’s and the government’s 

buying power in order to optimize successful 

contractual outcomes and reduce costs. These 

strategies include Lowest Price Technically 

Acceptable and Best Value evaluation methods, 

strategic sourcing, nonmonetary performance 

incentives, increased competition, shared 

savings, and the tactical use of fixed-price and 

performance-based strategies.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Keith Surber

Acting Chief Procurement Officer

Office of the Chief Procurement Officer

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

Standardized monthly reports and data from 

HUD’s Integrated Acquisition Management 

System (HIAMS) will support calculation of 

performance metrics to determine progress. HUD 
39

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

will track the following performance indicators.

• Percentage of requisitions released 

by the target requisition release date 

(by Program Office)

Improve customers’ timely submission of 

acquisition requirements by the agreed-upon 

planned target requisition release date.

• Percentage of awards meeting target award 

date (by OCPO)

This indicator will track the percentage of 

awards that are made by the agreed-upon 

target award date, for actions released by the 

target requisition release date.

• Total number of days to contract award, by 

acquisition strategy 

This indicator will track the total number of 

days to award a contract, categorized by each 

of the main acquisition strategies used to make 

the award. 
40

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

DEPARTMENTAL 

CLEARANCE

Reduce the time and complexity of the 

clearance process by establishing and 

enforcing clear protocols for drafting 

and reviewing documents placed in 

departmental clearance.

OVERVIEW

For some significant policy documents, submission 

of the document for departmental clearance is the 

first time that key HUD policy and support offices 

and HUD’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) review 

such documents. The absence of involvement of 

key HUD offices can result in a lengthy clearance 

process if major disagreements exist. There are 

also less significant policy documents that need 

only abbreviated review that go through the full 

clearance process unnecessarily.

To address these challenges, HUD will establish 

guidelines for development of significant policy 

documents that include a preclearance process 

and protocols for clearance of these documents. 

HUD will also establish guidelines that will 

institute a significant reduction of or no clearance 

of routine or less significant policy documents. 

STRATEGIES

• Establish guidelines for development 

of preclearance process. Protocols will 

be issued to clarify that the preclearance 

process is for significant policy documents, 

such as documents that implement new law 

(for example, the Violence Against Women 

Reauthorization, 2013; defining Qualified 

Mortgages [QMs] for HUD; or new notices of 

funding availability) or changes to longstanding 

HUD policies and practices (for example, 

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing [AFFH]). 

With respect to the clearance process itself, 

the review time will be tailored dependent 

upon whether the clearance item presents new 

significant policy or legal mandates. Such items 

will go through full clearance, with a goal of 

completing review in 2 weeks. Clearance items 

not falling into this category will go through an 

abbreviated and limited review process.

• Ensure transparency by utilizing a 

Departmentwide clearance calendar. The 

clearance calendar allows everyone within 

HUD to see the current version of a document 

in clearance; all clearance comments and 

resolutions; and the context, major issues, and 

priorities for each document. By increasing use 

of the clearance calendar, the clearance process 

will be much more transparent. This will also 

provide an electronic record of the time it took a 

document to go through clearance. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Damon Smith

Acting General Counsel

Office of General Counsel

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, 

HUD will monitor the following key performance 

indicator. 

• Percentage of documents that complete the 

clearance process by the deadline

HUD will monitor percentage of documents 

that complete the clearance process on time 

(that is, no nonconcurrences are submitted or 

remain unresolved).
41

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT 

OPPORTUNITY 

Promote a diverse and inclusive 

work environment that is free of 

discrimination and harassment by 

educating the workforce on the overall 

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) 

process and their EEO responsibilities as 

managers and employees of HUD.

OVERVIEW

The Office of Departmental Equal Employment 

Opportunity (ODEEO) is responsible for ensuring 

the enforcement of federal laws relating to the 

elimination of all forms of discrimination in the 

Department’s employment practices and to 

ensure EEO, promote inclusiveness, and foster 

a culture that values diversity and empowers 

the HUD workforce. Additionally, ODEEO is 

responsible for leading the Department’s efforts 

to proactively prevent unlawful discrimination. 

ODEEO also seeks to foster an agency culture in 

which disputes are resolved at the lowest possible 

level and before a formal complaint is filed. 

Currently, not all managers and employees have 

been trained on the overall EEO process and their 

EEO responsibilities. ODEEO seeks to offer training 

to the HUD workforce on the EEO process and the 

responsibilities of the workforce regarding EEO, 

as well as serving as a resource to the program 

office leadership by providing direction, guidance, 

and monitoring of key activities to ensure the 

successful implementation of the principles of EEO 

throughout the Department.

STRATEGIES

• Maximize EEO training opportunities for 

all HUD employees. Make quarterly training 

programs, workshops, and online training 

courses on the EEO process available to 

the entire HUD workforce and provide an 

overview of the EEO process to new employees 

during their orientation sessions. Incorporate 

mandatory EEO training for all employees, 

supervisors, managers, and executives on 

the fundamental competencies of effective 

leadership through our core values.

• Establish HUD as a model EEO program.

Integrate EEO principles into all nonsupervisory 

employee performance standards and 

establish an EEO performance standard for 

all supervisory employees to demonstrate 

commitment from agency leadership. Promote 

the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution 

throughout the Department. 

• Proactively track EEO data in order to identify 

and address EEO issues. Provide direction, 

guidance, and monitoring of key activities 

on a quarterly basis to ensure the successful 

implementation of the principles of EEO in 

the program areas. Conduct trend analysis to 

identify potential areas of concern throughout 

the Department and develop plans to address 

any identified concerns. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

John Benison

Director 

Office of Departmental Equal Employment 

Opportunity

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following performance indicators.

• Number of precomplaint resolutions 

occurring through the Alternative Dispute 

Resolution process 

HUD will seek to increase the number of 

precomplaint resolutions occurring through the 

Alternative Dispute Resolution process.

• Number of complaint filings per fiscal year HUD 

will seek to reduce the number of complaint 

filings per fiscal year on the basis of reprisal 

resulting in a hostile working environment.
42

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Increase accuracy, speed, transparency, 

and accountability in financial 

management and budgeting for 

the agency.

OVERVIEW

HUD’s current core accounting systems have been 

a source of audit findings for many years. The 

systems have limited functionality and are difficult 

to maintain properly, which increases the risk of 

failure. Moreover, the current budget process has 

limited transparency, and not all staff are trained on 

the appropriate budget formulation procedures. 

Further, HUD’s internal control processes need 

to be improved by addressing these significant 

deficiencies and material weaknesses. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) 

plans to improve internal controls on financial 

management by reducing significant deficiencies 

and eliminating material weaknesses across the 

Department. HUD will also improve the reliability 

of the financial accounting systems. HUD will also 

modify the budget formulation processes and 

procedures in order to increase transparency.

 STRATEGIES

• Improve internal controls. Improve internal 

controls on financial management by leading 

cross-agency initiatives to resolve material 

weaknesses and significant deficiencies, and 

work with the Office of the Inspector General 

to agree on appropriate solutions. A strategic 

review of financial management and budget 

within the Department will be performed to 

tighten the connection between programs and 

OCFO to optimize its structure.

• Improve the reliability of the financial 

accounting systems. Replace the current 

financial accounting systems with a new shared 

services system to improve viability, reliability, 

and reporting. The new financial accounting 

system will: 

• Improve functionality by providing ondemand financial information and greater 

flexibility in creating customized reports for 

end users.

• Provide financial information and analytical 

capability to complete analysis to measure 

the effectiveness and efficiency of program 

outputs and outcomes.

• Improve the budget formulation process. 

OCFO will improve this process by 

implementing necessary system improvements 

and establishing an annual budget calendar 

with timeliness targets to circulate to program 

offices, create a platform to initiate and 

respond to customer feedback, prepare 

clearer budget policies and procedures with 

program offices, and develop and provide 

budget formulation training to program office 

staff. This will allow leadership to make more 

informed budgetary decisions. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

David Sidari

Acting Chief Financial Officer

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor completion of specific milestones set 

forth in the Department’s Annual Performance Plan.
43

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

GRANTS MANAGEMENT

Make the grants management process 

more efficient and effective by automating 

and streamlining processes, improving 

timeliness, and tracking performance.

OVERVIEW

HUD’s management and oversight of grants 

can be more effective and efficient at a number 

of points over the grant life cycle. This is the 

result of a number of conditions: decentralized 

responsibilities and unclear authorities, a lack of 

policy and process standardization across program 

offices, the existence of a multitude of grantrelated information technology (IT) systems for 

identical or similar tasks, the lack of a centralized 

performance reporting system, and minimal 

centralized oversight of program operations.

To address these challenges, HUD will: develop 

a centralized, one-stop performance-reporting 

capability for agency grants; standardize and 

strengthen oversight of grant-related policies and 

processes; improve programmatic oversight of 

grant programs for compliance and performance; 

and align and optimize grant-related IT systems 

agency wide.

STRATEGIES

• Streamline the grants management process. 

Strengthen and align enterprisewide grants 

management responsibilities, policies, 

processes, and IT systems. 

• Reduce the amount of time it takes to get 

funds to grantees. Assure the alignment 

of HUD’s policies and processes and the 

optimization of IT systems results in decreasing 

the time it takes to get funds to grantees. 

• Develop comprehensive, standardized, and 

centralized performance reporting capability.

Evaluate, align, improve, and consolidate 

grantee performance information to inform 

agency decisionmaking and improve outcomes.

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Anne Morillon

Director, Division of Grants Management and 

Oversight

Office of Strategic Planning and Management

Cliff Taffet

General Deputy Assistant Secretary

Office of Community Planning and Development

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor completion of specific milestones set 

forth in the Department’s Annual Performance Plan.
44

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

HUMAN CAPITAL

Employ, develop, and foster a 

collaborative, high-performing 

workforce that is capable of continuing 

to deliver HUD’s mission in a changing 

and uncertain future.

OVERVIEW

We will employ, develop, and foster a 

collaborative, values-driven, and capable 

workforce by focusing our efforts on (1) 

promoting greater leadership effectiveness, 

(2) enhancing employee engagement, and (3) 

addressing performance results. 

The Department will face a number of challenges 

and changes in the years ahead, as we continue to 

address the housing recovery during a period of 

fiscal constraints. Changes in housing markets and 

communities around the nation are speeding up, 

just as natural disasters and the need for rebuilding 

communities across America is also increasing. 

Meanwhile, it is estimated that 57 percent of 

HUD’s workforce will be eligible to retire by 2015. 

To accomplish our mission in the years ahead, 

we must capture the wisdom and knowledge of 

our current and departing technical experts and 

leaders and transmit it to their successors. In that 

regard, we must value and utilize more effectively 

the contributions of all our employees as vital 

members of our workforce and help them fulfill 

their professional development and career needs. 

By improving leadership effectiveness, investing 

in employee engagement, and addressing 

performance challenges, we will build a more 

collaborative workforce, demonstrate our core 

values, and grow our capabilities. By fulfilling 

our roles as a trusted strategic partner, a human 

capital compliance expert, and a transactions 

facilitator for HUD’s employees, we can ensure 

that HUD’s workforce is ready to achieve its 

mission of creating sustainable, inclusive 

communities and quality, affordable homes for all.

STRATEGIES

• Strengthening talent management. HUD is 

vulnerable to losing a wealth of institutional 

knowledge, based on the anticipated rate 

of retirements and attrition in key positions 

over the next few years. HUD faces challenges 

integrating a new generation of employees into 

the workforce, while maximizing the talents 

of our existing workforce. To address these 

challenges, the Office of the Chief Human 

Capital Officer (OCHCO) will partner with 

our customers to deliver consultative and 

comprehensive talent management programs 

and services that put the right people in the 

right place doing the right things to achieve 

HUD’s mission. We will continue to develop 

and deploy programs that focus on improving 

the performance, development, and fit of our 

leadership; fully engaging our employees; and 

addressing performance results. 

• Achieving performance results. OCHCO 

will continue promoting our core values and 

performance feedback at every level of the 

Department and equip HUD’s executives, 

managers, and employees with the tools they 

need to improve leader effectiveness, engage 

employees, identify and address performance 

deficiencies, and build upon existing strengths 

in their programs. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Michael Anderson

Chief Human Capital Officer

Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following key indicators:

• Talent management: HUD’s score on 

the Employee Viewpoint Survey (EVS) 

Engagement Index

In order to measure the impact of activities 

to improve employee engagement and 
45

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

capability, HUD will track progress on the EVS 

Engagement Index. 

• Talent management: percentage of succession 

program positions filled from a pool of wellqualified candidates

In order to improve leadership effectiveness, 

HUD will implement a robust succession plan. 

To ensure the quality of that plan and the 

associated development initiatives, HUD will 

track the number of succession plan vacancies 

filled from a pool of well-qualified candidates. 

• Human capital customer satisfaction scores 

In order to measure and improve our own 

performance in serving HUD’s program offices, 

OCHCO will track internal customer satisfaction.
46

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

INFORMATION 

MANAGEMENT

Make high-quality data available to those 

who need it, when they need it, where 

they need it, to support decisionmaking 

in furtherance of HUD’s mission.

OVERVIEW

HUD data can be unreliable, inaccessible, 

and redundant, with new systems or datasets 

created to address faulty data rather than fixing 

the original data source. Moreover, HUD has 

historically had a fragmented approach to 

technology adoption, which leads to multiple 

platforms and multiple services competing for 

resources. Finally and similarly, HUD has not 

achieved the right balance of contracting support 

and in-house expertise to manage the agency’s 

data and systems effectively and affordably.

Over the next 4 years, HUD aims to leverage 

these opportunities by enhancing the quality, 

availability, and delivery of HUD information 

to citizens, employees, business partners, and 

the government, while striving for excellence 

in IT management practices and governance 

to consolidate and streamline HUD’s systems. 

In pairing enhanced technology and improved 

processes with a developing and strengthening 

workforce, the Department expects to vastly 

broaden its ability to achieve current and future 

departmental goals.

STRATEGIES

• Manage and develop HUD’s IT workforce. 

HUD will develop an IT human capital plan 

to guide the recruitment, retention, and skill 

development of staff. We will identify the skills 

desired within our IT workforce and measure 

current gaps, then create development 

programs targeting those competencies.

• Deploy new technologies, supported by a 

robust data governance structure. We will 

use new technologies to more quickly and 

reliably gather and disseminate data and 

to provide better IT services to our staff 

and clients, including full compliance with 

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

and the additional provision of reasonable 

accommodations as necessary. We will develop 

a data governance structure and data protocols 

that will ensure our data are accurate and 

authoritative and remove processes or data 

that are redundant or unnecessary.

• Consolidate IT infrastructure. HUD will establish 

a consolidated IT infrastructure in order to 

achieve interoperability, increase collaboration 

among operating divisions, improve customer 

service, and provide a secure and trusted IT 

environment ensuring confidentiality, integrity, 

and availability of IT resources. 

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Kevin Cooke 

Acting Chief Information Officer

Office of the Chief Information Officer

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD will 

monitor the following key performance indicators:

• Number of IT systems

Total number of HUD IT systems.

• Cost of IT systems (in millions) 

Total cost of operating and maintaining 

HUD IT systems.

• IT customer service satisfaction scores 

Conduct an annual survey of HUD staff on 

satisfaction with IT services provided.
47

SECTION 2. STRATEGIC GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

ORGANIZATIONAL 

STRUCTURE

Reduce the cost of leased space, utilities, 

travel, and other related costs by 

adapting our business processes.

OVERVIEW

Despite recent advances in programs such as 

telework and alternative work schedules, HUD 

has historically operated with a traditional 

definition of the workplace. This objective 

intends to help HUD redefine the workplace 

as more than just an office, but rather as the 

combination of people and information brought 

together by technology that allows work to be 

done at any appropriate location. 

In order to measure our success in this endeavor, 

HUD intends to reduce the amount of space 

per employee and contractor. Ultimately, this 

will reduce the total dollars that we spend on 

leased space, building maintenance, utilities, 

travel, and other related costs. In order to 

achieve these efficiencies, HUD will work with the 

General Services Administration (GSA) to identify 

opportunities to reduce space through better 

use of technology and expanded use of external 

resources and partnerships.

Additionally, HUD could better meet our 

customers’ needs by more appropriately 

distributing our workload and personnel by 

organizational unit. HUD will assess its current staff 

allocation, workload distribution, and community 

needs in order to align resources to better serve 

our customers. In this effort, our goal is not to save 

money at the expense of our customers, but rather 

to replace outdated business practices with new 

business models, ultimately producing greater 

efficiencies, saving money, establishing sustainable 

business models, and most importantly better 

serving our customers. 

STRATEGIES

• Identify opportunities to reduce space 

through better use of technology. GSA will 

lead an initiative to understand our work 

processes, ultimately resulting in a set of 

options to utilize technology and change our 

work processes to reduce space.

• Get our work in the right organizational unit.

With the ultimate goal of producing greater 

efficiencies and better serving our customers, 

HUD will take advantage of new business 

models (for example, consolidating offices and 

leveraging external resources and partnerships).

LEADING THIS OBJECTIVE

Michael Anderson

Chief Human Capital Officer

Office the Chief Human Capital Officer

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

To track our progress toward this objective, HUD 

will monitor the following performance indicators.

• Amount of money spent on space and travel 

(in millions) 

Total dollars spent on leased space, building 

maintenance, utilities, travel, and other 

related costs.

• Space utilization (in square feet)

Average square footage of usable workspace 

per employee and contractor.
48

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018
49

SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

SECTION 3 ADDITIONAL 

INFORMATION 
50

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

EVALUATING OUR STRATEGIES AND 

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

The Government Performance and Results Act Modernization 

Act of 2010 calls upon agencies to use evaluation and research 

evidence to identify evidence-based strategies for reaching 

intended objectives. HUD continuously conducts research and 

evaluation to develop HUD’s strategies for achieving its strategic 

goals and to inform budgetary allocations based on information 

about the cost-effectiveness of HUD’s efforts. Ongoing and 

planned evaluations that are particularly informative for each 

of HUD’s strategic goals are summarized below. The initiation 

and scope of these evaluations depends on sufficient funding. 

A number of these research efforts are proposed for funding in 

HUD’s FY 2015 budget request for the Transformation Initiative 

Fund, and subsequent budget requests will identify new priorities. 

Additionally, readers may consult the continually updated research 

and evaluation resources available at http://huduser.org. 

Additionally, HUD conducts regular data-driven performance 

reviews—“HUDStat” meetings—that focus on quarterly progress 

toward achieving each of HUD’s priority goals. The Secretary and 

senior leadership from throughout the agency, and sometimes 

from partner agencies, attend these meetings to address 

challenges, review metrics, improve internal and external 

collaboration, and increase performance. For each objective in 

this Strategic Plan, the Department will link specific contributing 

programs through its participation in the Federal Program 

Inventory. The metrics outlined in this Strategic Plan will, where 
51

SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

appropriate and available, have associated annual targets and 

milestones in each of the Department’s Annual Performance Plans 

over the next 4 years. Progress on achieving each of the strategic 

objectives will be assessed during data-driven review meetings, 

published in HUD’s Annual Performance Report each year, and 

shared on http://performance.gov.
52

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

THE RESEARCH ROADMAP 

HUD’s Research Roadmap FY 2014–FY 2018

identifies critical policy questions and will guide 

HUD’s research investments over the next 4 

years. The Research Roadmap, published in July 

2013, is available at http://www.huduser.org/

portal/pdf/Research_Roadmap.pdf. Formulated 

by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and 

Research (PD&R), the Roadmap has been a highly 

collaborative, forward-looking effort to identify 

critical policy questions that should guide PD&R 

research investments over the next 5 years. The 

Roadmap team met with members of Congress 

and with officials from the Office of Management 

and Budget, the Government Accountability 

Office, federal sister agencies, and numerous 

research, practitioner, and advocacy organizations 

to gather relevant feedback, and over 950 

comments were received from stakeholders 

during development. 

To complement the Roadmap’s structured 

evaluation agenda, HUD seeks to expand 

successful use of competitive research grants 

and noncompetitive research partnerships to 

better utilize external expertise in evaluating 

local innovations and program effectiveness. 

HUD’s Research Partnerships program is already 

supporting a number of high-value research 

projects that align with HUD’s mission but 

were proposed by outside researchers and are 

supported by a 50-percent match of funds from 

an external source.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONS INFORMING 

GOAL 1: STRENGTHEN THE NATION’S 

HOUSING MARKET TO BOLSTER THE 

ECONOMY AND PROTECT CONSUMERS

Currently Funded

Prepurchase Homeownership Counseling 

Demonstration. HUD is working with three 

national lenders to conduct a randomassignment experiment to test the impacts 

of prepurchase housing counseling for firsttime homebuyers. HUD seeks supplemental 

funding for the 42-month followup survey (36 

months after random assignment plus 6 months 

after counseling completion) and long-term 

impact analysis. An interim report on baseline 

characteristics is expected in 2016.

Not Currently Funded

Assessing the Effectiveness of Mortgage 

Modification Protocols. Three interrelated studies 

will evaluate the success of alternative policies 

used to preserve homeownership and support 

the national recovery from the foreclosure crisis, 

including an examination of the Department 

of Treasury’s Home Affordable Modification 

Program (HAMP), FHA-HAMP, USDA-HAMP, the 

principal reduction alternative, the second lien 

modification, and proprietary protocols followed 

by servicers.

Impact of Real Estate Owned Properties on 

Neighborhoods. This project will integrate 

emerging research and collect outcome data 

about REO portfolios and their impacts, with 

special focus on the FHA portfolio. Results will be 

integrated into the Neighborhood Stabilization 

Program evaluation framework for tracking both 

past and future impacts. 

Impact of the Foreclosure Crisis on HUD 

Programs and the Rental Market. This analysis of 

administrative and market data before and after 

the housing market crash will systematically map 

the long-term implications for HUD’s affordable 

rental housing programs. A forecasting and 

scenario-planning component will enhance HUD’s 

capacity to anticipate and mitigate the impact of 

future booms and busts on its programs. 

Nonretention Alternatives to Foreclosure. This 

research will survey the practice of short sales 

of homes with delinquent loans and assess the 

net costs and benefits for borrowers, lenders, 

insurers, and neighborhoods. 

Impact of Qualified Mortgage Rules. This study 

will assess the impact of QM rules on FHA, the 

government-sponsored enterprises, the housing 

finance market, and borrowers.
53

SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Reverse Mortgage Study. Substantial changes 

in the reverse mortgage sector, combined with 

house price declines, have resulted in increased 

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) 

losses to FHA. Interrelated components of this 

effort include an evaluation of FHA’s HECM 

program, a new integrated dataset, a survey 

and analysis of local property taxes and hazard 

insurance rates that affect HECM defaults, and a 

study of incentives for HECM loan originators. 

What Do We Know About Vacancy? Review of 

Housing Inventory and Vacancy Statistics. This 

project will review literature and data methods 

to determine how vacancy data, both public and 

private, are obtained, reported, and interpreted. It 

also will analyze how existing data on the housing 

stock, and on vacant units in particular, could have 

improved understanding of the housing bubble. 

Demonstration of Section 203(k) Rehabilitation 

Financing for Investors. This demonstration 

will test whether program enhancements and 

safeguards for FHA’s Section 203(k) mortgage 

insurance program can make more financing 

available for rehabilitation, or purchase and 

rehabilitation, of single-family rental properties 

(one to four units).

Small Multifamily Mortgage Insurance 

Demonstration. HUD seeks to evaluate the FY 

2014 initiative to use FHA’s Risk-Sharing Program 

to facilitate the financing of small multifamily 

properties (5 to 49 units) by housing finance 

agencies, community-development financial 

institutions, and other mission-driven lenders.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONS INFORMING 

GOAL 2: MEET THE NEED FOR QUALITY, 

AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOMES 

Currently Funded

Assessment of Native American, Alaska 

Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing Needs.

At the request of Congress, HUD is assessing 

housing quality and affordability for Native 

Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians 

and evaluating how the Native American 

Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act 

(NAHASDA) has addressed those needs. An 

interim report is available and a report on housing 

needs based on in-depth surveys of properties 

in Indian Country and interviews with housing 

providers is expected to be available in 2015. 

Housing Choice Voucher Program 

Administrative Fee Study. HUD is currently 

evaluating how much it costs for a public housing 

agency to run an efficient HCV program, with the 

objective of supporting development of a funding 

formula for allocating administrative fees. 

Rent Reform Demonstration. In 2012, HUD 

initiated a randomized controlled trial to 

rigorously test alternatives to the current HUD 

assisted rent structure among PHAs designated 

as Moving To Work agencies. HUD will report on 

the impact of the demonstration on earnings, 

employment, hardship, and administrative cost.

Evaluation of Jobs Plus: Baseline Phase. This 

evaluation will include data collection, analysis, 

and a baseline survey at the public housing sites 

that are selected for participation in the first 

year of the Jobs Plus Initiative grant awards. The 

goal will be to provide evidence-based findings 

and lessons learned and to identify operational 

obstacles that a larger scale implementation of 

the Initiative would need to address.

Moving to Work Demonstration: Baseline Phase.

Congress has funded one or more studies of 

the extent to which the demonstration meets 

its statutory goals of enhancing self-sufficiency, 

expanding choice, and reducing administrative cost. 

Project-Based Rental Assistance Transfer 

Authority Evaluation. At various times, Congress 

has authorized the transfer of PBRA subsidies 

from one assisted multifamily property to another. 

The proposed evaluation would include a study 

of the impact on the cost-effectiveness of the 

subsidies provided and any improvements in the 

physical and financial condition of the subsidized 

housing stock.
54

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

Rental Assistance Demonstration Evaluation.

This evaluation will examine RAD’s success in the 

goal to convert public housing and other HUDassisted properties to long-term project-based 

Section 8 rental assistance. Impact on families 

and on the physical and financial viability of the 

projects will be evaluated through a comparison 

group of projects that don’t go through the 

conversion process. 

Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) 

Demonstration. Preliminary evidence from the 

2011 implementation of SAFMRs in the Dallas, 

Texas metropolitan area reveals slight increases in 

unit quality and neighborhood quality for tenants 

at no additional cost to the government. This 

demonstration is investigating the ramifications 

for the HCV program of implementing SAFMRs on 

a national scale.

Worst Case Housing Needs. PD&R uses inhouse 

staff resources and the American Housing Survey 

to report to Congress biennially on the causes 

and trends of worst case needs for affordable 

rental housing.14 Worst case needs data are 

widely used in the Department’s budget, policy, 

and strategic-planning decisions. The next report 

using the forthcoming 2013 AHS data is expected 

in early 2015.

Not Currently Funded

Assessing Housing Quality in the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program: Design Phase. This 

project will fund design and testing of an updated 

and revised survey instrument for a survey of 

a representative sample of Section 8 vouchers 

at all PHAs. The results of a fully implemented 

survey can be used by PHAs directly to improve 

their communication, oversight, training, and 

enforcement of their inspectors and by HUD to 

identify program improvements and to target 

technical assistance and oversight resources in a 

cost-effective manner.

14 The most recent report is available at http://www.huduser.

org/portal/publications/affhsg/wc_HsgNeeds11_report.html. 

Assessment of Landlord Behavior in the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program. This study will explore 

how landlord behavior affects the effectiveness 

of the HCV program across a range of measures 

including voucher success rates and tenant 

mobility. The study will help inform decisions on 

possible streamlining and improvement of the 

Section 8 program. 

Comparing Subsidy Costs of Federal Housing 

Assistance Programs. This project, which will 

be conducted only in house during FY 2014, will 

examine the cost-effectiveness of existing federal 

housing programs as they operate across different 

regions and metropolitan areas of the country, 

and across cities, suburbs, and rural areas.

Examining Small PHA Performance. This 

study will survey a sample of small PHAs to 

assess their performance levels and reasons 

for their performance, administrative costs, and 

challenges. This research is particularly relevant 

and timely because of the new proposed Small 

Housing Authority Reform Proposal (SHARP) 

legislation.

Improving HUD Measures of Housing Cost 

Inflation. This study will take advantage of 

improved data and recent program evaluations 

to analyze the comparative costs of providing 

a unit of housing with various housing subsidy 

programs. The evaluation also will examine the 

role of subsidy layering, the characteristics of 

cost-effective housing subsidy programs, and the 

benefits of various program approaches.

Leased Housing Tenant Payment Insurance 

Demonstration. HUD is seeking to design a 

demonstration of a new, shallow-subsidy leased 

housing insurance program that would cover 

a portion of a low-income household’s rent 

in the event of acute income shocks resulting 

from unemployment or health problems. Such 

a shallow subsidy would complement existing 

deep rental assistance programs by providing 

a safety net to support tenants who move into 

market-rate housing.
55

SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Utility Cost Data System. This project will collect 

representative tenant utility expenditures and 

compare them with the allowances the same 

tenants actually received and those they would 

have received if the PHA or project owner had 

used the HUD Utility Schedule Model (HUSM).

RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONS INFORMING 

GOAL 3: USE HOUSING AS A PLATFORM FOR 

IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE

Currently Funded

Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Households.

This project will expand and leverage the 

capabilities of matched data sources to provide 

detailed information about characteristics of 

typical HUD-assisted renter households, such as 

employment, work search, health, educational 

pursuits, seeking permanent residences, and 

decisions to move.

Impact of Housing and Services Interventions 

on Homeless Families (Family Options Study).

This random-assignment trial was initiated at the 

request of Congress to assess the effectiveness of 

four interventions for helping homeless families 

with children: (1) project-based transitional 

housing, (2) community-based rapid rehousing; 

(3) housing choice voucher/public housing; or (4) 

usual care. An interim report about initial lease up 

is available, and a report on 18-month outcomes 

is due early in 2015.

Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration. This 

random-assignment demonstration at a large 

number of PHAs will measure the extent to which 

the FSS program contributes to increases in 

tenant incomes and wealth. 

Choice Neighborhoods Demonstration. HUD 

is assessing what happens to residents, assisted 

developments, and surrounding neighborhoods 

as result of the Choice Neighborhoods 

Demonstration. An interim report documenting 

baseline conditions at the five implementation sites 

is available, and a second interim report about the 

implementation of revitalization strategies in the 

funded neighborhoods is due in 2014.

Evaluation of Support and Services at Home 

(SASH). HUD is supporting this study through an 

interagency agreement with the U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services. The research will 

link HUD administrative data with Medicare and 

Medicaid claims data to evaluate the impact of 

affordable housing with services on the well-being 

and healthcare utilization of low-income seniors.

Evaluation of the Section 202 Supportive 

Housing Program for Elderly Households. This 

experimental design evaluation will assess the 

extent to which supportive housing allows elderly 

persons to live independently and age in place, 

improves their general well-being and health, and 

creates costs savings in the healthcare system. 

Evaluation of the Section 811 Project Rental 

Assistance Demonstration. As mandated by 

the Melville Act, this evaluation will analyze the 

implementation and results of the Section 811 

Project Rental Assistance Demonstration, which 

focuses on integrating persons with disabilities 

into multifamily developments, and will analyze its 

effectiveness compared to the traditional Section 

811 program and to alternative housing and 

institutional care options for people with disabilities.

Seniors and Services Demonstration: Launch 

Phase. This demonstration will build on the 

research design and evaluation work currently 

under way to launch a demonstration and 

evaluation of seniors aging in place with services. 

Understanding Rapid Rehousing: Models and 

Outcomes for Homeless Households. This study 

will seek to identify the most common program 

models being implemented under the rubric 

of a rapid rehousing intervention and track the 

outcomes of households served through the 

various program models. 

Not Currently Funded

Effect of Housing Assistance Over Time. This 

project will review and summarize existing 

evidence about the effect of housing assistance 

over time. It will attempt to estimate the cost 

structure and cost effectiveness of different HUD 

programs using results from these analyses.
56

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

Homelessness Prevention Demonstration.

This project would make a timely investment to 

extend the knowledge gained from HUD’s recent 

investments in homelessness research and 

local innovation.

State Olmstead Plans and Assessment of 

Demand, Available Resources, and Needs. This 

project will help the Department better align its 

programs and resources to meet the affordable 

housing needs for people with disabilities 

in integrated settings as required under the 

Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. It will 

include an estimate of housing needs for people 

with disabilities and a review of state enforcement 

and implementation of Olmstead. 

Successful Exits From Targeted Housing 

Assistance Programs for Vulnerable Populations. 

This study would develop a series of case studies 

that explore successful local strategies to enable 

people residing in supportive housing or other 

housing designed for vulnerable populations 

to move on into “mainstream” housing. Such 

policies and programs that support “moving up” 

or graduation to mainstream housing programs 

help ensure that permanent supportive housing is 

available for the households most in need of such 

intensive assistance. 

Evaluation of Supportive Housing for Prisoner 

Reentry. This evaluation will help build an 

evidence-based approach for improving reentry 

outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals 

and their communities through permanent 

supportive housing linked with employment, 

behavioral health services, and family unification. 

HUD is considering options ranging from an 

evaluation of existing PHA reentry programs to an 

interagency effort that would involve leveraging 

private/philanthropic investments to support 

permanent supportive housing plus services 

within a pay-for-success framework.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONS INFORMING 

STRATEGIC GOAL 4: BUILD STRONG, 

RESILIENT, AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES

Currently Funded

Housing Discrimination Studies (HDS). Over 

several decades, rigorous testing methods have 

proven to be the most reliable way to assess and 

measure the extent and limitations of compliance 

with the Fair Housing Act. Several ongoing or 

planned HDS focus on discrimination against 

groups that pose methodological challenges for 

established testing methods, including groups that 

are not covered by the Fair Housing Act but may 

be covered under state and local fair housing laws. 

• HDS—Families With Children. This pilot study 

will test methods to measure the forms and 

prevalence of discrimination against families 

with children in rental housing, taking into 

account potentially interacting factors, such 

as age, gender, number of children, and race 

and ethnicity.

• HDS—Source of Income. This study will develop 

methods for measuring discrimination against 

voucher holders in U.S. rental housing markets. 

• HDS—Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender 

People. This study pilots techniques to obtain 

a baseline in-person measure of housing 

discrimination faced by same-sex couples 

in at least two metropolitan rental markets. 

The study will also include a pilot test of 

discrimination against transgender people in a 

single metropolitan market.

• HDS—on the Basis of Mental Disabilities.

The study will test methods to measure the 

degree to which people with mental disabilities 

experience discrimination in the search 

for rental housing, conduct pilot testing, 

analyze HUD’s discrimination complaints and 

compliance tracking system, and produce 

papers to expand the field’s understanding of 

housing discrimination against persons with 

mental disabilities.
57

SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• HDS—Persons Who Are Deaf or Who Use a 

Wheelchair. This study will obtain statistically 

valid national estimates of the incidence of 

housing discrimination in the rental market 

against two categories of people with 

disabilities: persons who are deaf and hard of 

hearing and persons with physical disabilities 

who use a wheelchair.

Housing Search for Racial and Ethnic Minorities. 

This study is examining the processes by which racial 

and ethnic minorities search for rental housing.

Not Currently Funded

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Study. 

Contingent upon the publication of a Final Rule, 

this evaluation of HUD’s AFFH policy will examine 

the implementation of the new AFFH rule, the 

extent and quality of compliance, and the extent 

to which it is working to reduce segregation 

and increase affordable-housing supply. This 

research addresses questions posed by Research 

Roadmap stakeholders.

Interaction of Anchor Institutions With 

Neighborhoods. This study would examine the 

incentives leading anchor institutions use to engage 

with their communities; the impact of anchor 

institutions (especially universities and hospitals) 

on neighborhood income mixing, transformation, 

and stabilization; and variation of neighborhood 

outcomes with respect to type of neighborhood 

interaction. This research addresses questions 

posed by Research Roadmap stakeholders.

Accelerating Postdisaster Community Recovery. 

In response to Hurricane Sandy, a number of new 

approaches toward long-term recovery are being 

tested, including more regional and holistic federal 

coordination, an emphasis on better planning, 

and increased access to and use of federal data 

for local program operations. This research will 

document those efforts and inform development 

of mechanisms that enable local governments to 

launch long-term recovery programs more quickly. 

Community Development Block Grant-Funded 

Disaster Recovery: Retrospective Evaluation. In 

recent years, Congress has increasingly relied on 

special appropriations to HUD’s CDBG program to 

provide flexible disaster recovery funds to stricken 

communities. This retrospective evaluation will 

review the characteristics and extent of disasters 

over the past decade, the federal response to 

those disasters using the CDBG-Disaster vehicle, 

the program’s implementation, and the uses and 

effectiveness of those resources relative to needs. 
58

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2018

DEVELOPING THE HUD 

STRATEGIC PLAN 2014–2018

In early 2013, HUD embarked on a strategic 

planning process, coordinated by the Office 

of Strategic Planning and Management, to set 

the course of the Department over the next 

5 years. The Department employed a broad 

engagement strategy to collect input from 

many knowledgeable employees and partners—

voices critical to HUD’s transformation. As in the 

development of its last Strategic Plan, HUD once 

again welcomed suggestions and feedback from 

its staff, stakeholders, and the public through 

a variety of channels. Switchboard (http://hud.

gov/switchboard), HUD’s online ideation and 

engagement platform, allowed anyone interested 

in shaping the plan to post, vote, and comment on 

ideas, generating suggestions used to strengthen 

our goals and management objectives. 

Meanwhile, HUD held live and virtual feedback 

sessions to foster collective discussion around 

the plan’s framework, connecting employees at 

headquarters and in the field, and in certain cities 

inviting local partners to join the live conversation. 

Each strategic objective in the plan has one or 

more assigned leaders who helped to spearhead 

the conversation around that objective with both 

internal agency staff and external partners and 

thought leaders. HUD also held a managers’ summit 

at headquarters to review the evolving framework. 

As each management objective was strengthened 

by this input over time, it was presented to HUD’s 

Deputy Secretary for review, with invited input 

from union leadership as well. Additionally, HUD 

sought feedback on its draft plan from Congress to 

ensure that the goals and objectives articulated by 

the Department were reviewed by congressional 

partners as the plan evolved. The plan overall was 

enhanced by all of these inputs, together with 

feedback from OMB and White House advisors.

The strategic planning process generated 

valuable ideas, increased dialogue among 

parties invested in HUD’s success, and laid the 

foundation for all stakeholders to support the 

accomplishment of HUD’s goals.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Strategic Planning and Management

Washington, DC 20410-6000

April 2014