One HUD, For AllThis document presents the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Strategic Plan for fiscal years (FY) 2022 through 2026. HUD was created as a cabinet-level agency in 1965. The Department’s 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 HUD will achieve it, and how HUD will measure success. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHUD_826670dc-9bfc-4907-a1e3-583ff7dbb156HUD, a Cabinet-level Department created in 1965, is responsible for National policy and programs that address America’s housing needs, improve and develop the Nation’s communities, and enforce fair housing laws. It accomplishes its mission through component organizations and offices that administer programs carried out through a network of regional and field offices and partnerships with other Federal agencies, state and local grantees, and for-profit, philanthropic, and non-profit organizations of the private sector._fcfd8790-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea00To create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all_fcfd8cd6-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea00AccountabilityHUD individually and collectively takes responsibility for its performance and conduct.PerformanceEfficiency and Effectiveness ~ HUD will maximize its resources and efforts to continually improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its individual and collective performance.EfficiencyEffectivenessSimplicityThe Department strives for simplicity in its lines of authority and clarity in its lines of communication and strives to eliminate the red tape of bureaucracy. HUD supports a productive work environment that balances high performance with the need for healthy personal and community life.CompassionFairness and Respect ~ HUD values others, demonstrates compassion for those it serves, and treats others the way it would like to be treated. In respecting others, the Department conducts its work and administers its programs with fairness and justice and with a commitment to civil rights, inclusion, and diversity.FairnessRespectIntegrityHUD approaches others, its stakeholders, and its work with honesty and the highest ethical standards.TransformationPursue Transformative Housing and Community-Building Policy and Programs_fcfd8e2a-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea00Overarching GoalEnsure HUD centers its focus on people, and their lived experiences, with policy and programs that are equityfocused, anti-discriminatory, and that advance housing justice, so that everyone has an affordable, healthy place to live.EquityIncrease equity across all HUD programs._fcfd93b6-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea00Priority 1The Biden-Harris Administration has placed equity front and center through a series of Executive Orders and has issued a memorandum specific to HUD instructing the Department to redress the Nation’s long history of discriminatory housing practices and reaffirming the Administration’s commitment to ending housing discrimination.2 HUD is well-positioned to advance those directives as its mission is focused on people in underserved communities. The Department’s operations are designed to reach people who have been systemically locked out of opportunities to succeed. HUD has been a lifeline for people in need, creating affordable housing in every state, rebuilding communities ravaged by disasters, and supporting community development to unlock opportunity. While current HUD leadership recognizes the extraordinary legacy, mission, and potential the Department brings to building equitable communities across the Nation, HUD also recognizes that several of its core programs were operated for decades in a manner that supported discriminatory practices against persons of color. The Biden-Harris Administration’s HUD is eager to use the Department’s authorities to reverse the harm caused by prior Federal policies and prioritize equity in all of HUD programs. ^ Executive Order 13985 (“Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government”) mandates that the Federal Government “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”3 Additionally, President Biden issued a Presidential Memorandum for the “Federal Government to recognize and acknowledge its role in systematically declining to invest in communities of color and preventing residents of those communities from accessing the same services and resources as their white counterparts.”4 This acknowledgement states that it is the policy of the Federal Government to “work with communities to end housing discrimination, to provide redress to those who have experienced housing discrimination, to eliminate racial bias and other forms of discrimination in all stages of home-buying and renting, to lift barriers that restrict housing and neighborhood choice, to promote diverse and inclusive communities, to ensure sufficient physically accessible housing, and to secure equal access to housing opportunity for all.” ^ It is through this plan, HUD looks to further these goals. Each agency is directed to work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity. Equity is defined in Executive Order 13985 as the “consistent, systematic, fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.” Additional Executive Orders address diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Federal workforce; gender policy combatting discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation; inclusion of new Americans; equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders; environmental justice; and other issues related to equity and opportunity. ^ Housing plays a key role in improving lives, and the Federal implementation of policies to eliminate systemic discrimination and promote equity can produce long-lasting, positive impacts by providing access to safe, stable housing in inclusive and sustainable communities. Doing so will necessitate harnessing the strengths of economic development at the community, municipal, Tribal, and state levels. Given the vital importance of housing and community to well-being, and HUD’s role in promoting fair housing policies, HUD has an opportunity to remove barriers and promote equity for people in communities that have been historically underserved by its programs. The Department also recognizes the significant racial disparities in homelessness and is committed to addressing these disparities. To accomplish this effort, HUD will address systemic inequities in housing and grants programs, environmental justice, and resident services, to ensure every person has access to safe and high-quality housing. ^ HUD has launched a comprehensive effort under Secretary Fudge’s leadership to embed equity within the Department’s programs, policymaking, and operations. To ensure Department-wide alignment as HUD moves this work forward, the FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan has placed equity as an overarching priority to embed specific equity focused strategies throughout the Department’s strategic goals and objectives.Customer ExperienceImprove the customer experience for those seeking and receiving HUD services. _fcfd95aa-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea00Priority 2Rapid advances in consumer services and digital technologies have transformed customer expectations over the past decade. The public brings these heightened expectations from the private sector with them as they engage with HUD services. A failure to meet these expectations can have a profound and adverse effect on customers and the Department. Designing customer experiences intentionally, with the needs of the customer at the forefront of decision-making, can help HUD to: 1) better deliver on its mission; 2) serve greater proportions of targeted populations more effectively and equitably; 3) build trust; 4) improve customer satisfaction; and 5) lower operational costs. ^ Customer Experience (CX) is more than improved customer service.7 CX is the sum of an individual’s perception of HUD as a Department and the services and products it provides. It is built over time, along multiple interactions. “Customers” are individuals, businesses, and organizations (such as grantees and state and municipal agencies) that interact with a Federal Government agency or program. Interactions can be direct or through partner organizations executing Federally funded programs. Federal government customers could also include public servants and employees themselves in their interactions with Federal processes. A “service” is defined as the sum of the help provided – by an agency and its partners – throughout the process a customer goes through to obtain, receive, or make use of a public offering (or comply with a policy). Adopting a customercentric approach to service delivery and putting people at the core of what HUD does and how the Department works, ensures successful outcomes as customers navigate HUD services. ^ Federal law and regulation continue to progress government-wide CX transformation. HUD worked across its programs in accordance with Executive Order 14058 (“Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery To Rebuild Trust in Government”) and Office of Management and Budget Circular A-11 Section 280, focused on CX transformation. This has allowed HUD to embed CX strategies throughout its FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan objectives to ensure this customer-centric focus will align HUD with Federal compliance requirements. HUD will rise to address complex challenges in real time and re-orient program operations to improve customer interactions by elevating CX as an overarching priority in the Strategic Plan. HUD will focus on empowering employees to design HUD’s policies and technology to better deliver on behalf of end customers. ^ HUD’s CX vision is to integrate the customer perspective into everything the Department does to make its interactions feel easy, effective, positive, and equitable. This unified focus on CX will enable HUD’s customers across its five service ecosystems to better understand and access relevant housing and community development information. Customers will be able to feel confident and supported while navigating HUD services, offer actionable feedback based on lived experiences, and achieve productive outcomes that support HUD’s mission. Utilizing Human-Centered Design (HCD) and CX tools will enable HUD to implement solutions that positively impact all customers based on specific needs as a top priority. Understanding HUD’s customers’ experiences and expectations, in real time, provides insights into various pain points. Therefore, HUD will be enabled to determine where to equitably improve service delivery and operations.Underserved CommunitiesFortify support for underserved communities and support equitable community development for all people._fcfd9816-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea001Underserved CommunitiesOffice of the SecretaryLEADING THIS GOALHUD will fortify support for underserved communities and support equitable community development for all people residing in America. To achieve this goal, HUD will bolster Fair Housing compliance and enforcement, implement a Housing First approach to reducing homelessness, and drive equitable community development.13 The Department is committed to building an inclusive future, that promotes wealth-building for all people and lifts underserved communities to share in the Nation’s prosperity. Increased Fair Housing compliance and enforcement, aimed at preventing housing discrimination, along with strengthening community partnerships, confirms HUD’s deep commitment to its mission. These commitments, coupled with strategic investments to make homelessness increasingly rare, render the Department a leader in re-envisioning a more prosperous future for all people who call this Nation home. ^ At the core of HUD’s commitment to underserved communities is the advancement of equity in the Department’s policies and programs. Historically, some of HUD’s policies have perpetuated inequities in housing access and economic opportunity. The absence of an equity lens has resulted in policies that contributed to segregated neighborhoods, mortgage redlining, lending discrimination, and inhibited wealth-building opportunities for families of color, immigrants, women, individuals with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals. The Department recognizes and acknowledges the role it has played in declining to invest in communities of color and preventing residents of those communities from accessing needed services and resources. These inequities are particularly clear in homelessness, in which Black and indigenous people, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people experience homelessness at rates significantly higher than their representation in the general population. As HUD designs and implements new programs and policies, as well as re-evaluates existing ones, the Department will seek to understand the lived experiences of the people its programs are intended to serve. HUD will address the systemic issues of racism and inequality by understanding and including the diverse perspectives of those who use or could benefit from HUD programs. The Department will develop its strategies for achieving this goal through a Customer Experience (CX) lens, focused on Human-Centered Design, research, and customer understanding. The most impactful way to serve HUD’s vulnerable populations is to empower them by giving them a voice in designing solutions specific to their diverse needs and perspectives. ^ The goal of supporting underserved communities will be carried out across three objectives focused on advancing housing justice, reducing homelessness, and investing in the success of communities. HUD’s primary focus in advancing housing justice is to expand the Department’s role in proactively supporting and protecting vulnerable and underserved communities while increasing enforcement of, and compliance with, Fair Housing laws. The Department’s commitment to reduce homelessness, centered on the Agency Priority Goal to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring, focuses on providing housing as the initial platform for improving quality of life, and improving access to housing services. Lastly, investing in the success of communities will revolve around creating inclusive development, proactive policies to fight discrimination, and enduring measures to gauge impacts. Supporting underserved communities is not only essential to HUD’s mission of creating strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, affordable homes for all, but represents the Nation’s moral and civil obligation to care for one another in the pursuit of everyone’s best selves. Housing JusticeAdvance Housing Justice_fcfda11c-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea001AVulnerable PopulationsUnderserved CommunitiesOffice of Fair Housing and Equal OpportunityLEADING THIS OBJECTIVE Fortify support for vulnerable populations, underserved communities, and Fair Housing enforcement. ~ A person’s future should never be limited by the zip code where they live. Furthermore, a person’s race, disability or other protected characteristics should never limit their access to housing or their ability to fully live and participate in the community. HUD recognizes that where a person lives greatly impacts nearly every aspect of their life. HUD is committed to learning from the lived experiences of those who utilize or could benefit from HUD programs to inform the Department’s process in addressing systemic issues of racism and inequality. HUD’s mission and work are focused on ensuring underserved populations have equitable access to housing and the long-term advantages that a safe, stable home provides. The Department’s efforts are informed by HUD’s commitment to prevent further discrimination against traditionally underserved groups as the Department strives to create diverse, inclusive communities. ^ This administration has placed equity front and center through a series of Executive Orders focused on underserved populations to ensure equitable and fair access to housing and to Federal programs. The Department has identified underserved populations to include, but not be limited to the following: people of color; members of religious minorities; members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; immigrants; populations with limited English proficiency (LEP); survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault; survivors of human trafficking; people involved in the criminal justice system; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. ^ Advancing equity in housing means creating pathways for underserved populations to be reached by 1) building relationships with service provider partners; 2) improving outreach and marketing of housing opportunities; 3) changing admissions policies; and 4) targeting housing programs. HUD will collaborate with Federal, state, local, Tribal, and nonprofit partners to ensure nationwide efforts are implemented in accordance with communities’ localized needs. Additionally, a thorough customer understanding, communication, and outreach efforts will inform HUD’s tailored support to communities to fight discrimination. A central element of HUD’s approach will be the provision of education and technical assistance to help identify, prevent, and eliminate discriminatory practices. HUD will also revise and develop policy levers and guidance to remove barriers to housing access. New data collection tools will further the Department’s collective efforts by ensuring HUD has access to the latest information on fair housing complaints, trends that must be addressed, and community efforts. ^ HUD is working to fortify fair housing rights by implementing guidance and new rules that will increase protections under the Fair Housing Act. In particular, the Department is working toward the successful rollout of an improved Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. HUD anticipates issuing a proposed rule that will help recipients of HUD funding to take meaningful actions to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to equal opportunity based on protected characteristics. HUD also anticipates publishing a final rule setting out the framework for assessing whether policies or practices have an unjustified discriminatory effect in violation of the Fair Housing Act.14 Subject to finalization of those rulemakings, the Department anticipates having a focus on providing technical assistance for Federal agencies and grantees to meet their obligations at all levels. ^ HUD continues to implement the Housing Counseling Program and the FY 2021 Eviction Protection Grant Program to help low-income renter families and individuals avoid eviction or minimize the disruption and damage caused by the eviction process in areas with high rates of evictions or prospective evictions, including rural areas. Advancing housing justice and strengthening housing protections for underserved populations ensures the Federal government affirmatively furthers fair housing. HUD is unwavering in its commitment to proactively break down barriers that block people from living in healthy and prosperous neighborhoods that provide economic opportunities.HomelessnessReduce Homelessness_fcfda4be-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea001BHomeless PeopleOffice of Community Planning and DevelopmentLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEStrengthen Federal, State, Tribal, and community implementation of the Housing First approach to reducing the prevalence of homelessness, with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness. ^ APG 1B ~ By September 30, 2023, make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring by reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness by 15% from 2020 levels. ^ On a single night in January 2020, 580,466 people experienced homelessness across the United States. This represents a two percent increase from 2019 and marks the fourth consecutive year that total homelessness increased in the United States. These numbers are staggering, especially considering the threat of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to people experiencing homelessness. HUD will work to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring, while strengthening Federal, State, Tribal, and community implementation of evidencebased practices, such as Housing First, to address homelessness. ^ To make homelessness rare, HUD will partner with local, state, Tribal, and Federal organizations to prevent homelessness for people exiting public systems. The Department’s focus will include, but not be limited to, child welfare, prison, and mental health institutions. HUD will seek to make homelessness brief by reducing the length of time people experience homelessness. This will be achieved by helping communities provide equitable access to all people seeking homeless assistance through the coordinated entry system. Individuals and families will then be connected to appropriate permanent housing options, such as permanent supportive housing, Emergency Housing Vouchers, and rapid re-housing. To prevent people from experiencing homelessness again, the Department will develop strategies to increase access to affordable housing and healthcare among this vulnerable population. ^ Promoting equity is a key component in reducing homelessness. People experiencing homelessness are among the most underserved and overlooked – especially persons of color, who are significantly over-represented among this population. The Department will improve community efforts to identify, engage, and re-house people experiencing unsheltered homelessness through a Housing First approach. HUD will work with partners to create tailored, equitable solutions for individuals’ needs that are informed by their lived experiences. ^ The lack of affordable housing creates additional obstacles for families experiencing homelessness who are trying to get back on their feet. This is especially true in rural communities and major West Coast cities where unsheltered homelessness is a considerable problem. To increase access to affordable housing, the Department will deploy tailored assistance that addresses the geographic, economic, and service needs of families as well as individuals. ^ Housing is foundational to—not the reward for—health, recovery, and economic success. Proof exists that homelessness can be ended. Ensuring that everyone has a safe, stable place to live is crucial to effectively and efficiently bringing an end to homelessness. CommunitiesInvest in the Success of Communities_fcfda644-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea001CUnderserved CommunitiesCommunities of ColorOffice of Public and Indian HousingLEADING THIS OBJECTIVE Promote equitable community development that generates wealth-building for underserved communities, particularly for communities of color. ~ The Department’s commitment to creating a more equitable and prosperous future for all communities in the United States places a specific focus on initiatives and programs that: 1) promote barrier removal and provide tools to help HUD-assisted residents move toward economic prosperity; 2) encourage individual and community wealth-building; and 3) provide holistic supportive services for underserved communities and those living in HUDassisted housing. ^ HUD will invest in inclusive economic development and equitable wealth-building opportunities that center on the specific needs of underserved communities. The Department’s programs will be informed by individuals’ and communities’ self-expressed determinations of economic prosperity and wealth. HUD will pursue knowledge of the people it intends to serve and their interests via community outreach and engagement. The Department will act on this feedback, using Human-Centered Design strategies, to improve the design and impact of its community and supportive services (CSS) programs. ^ Place-based initiatives represent an important strategy for realizing the Department’s commitment to wealthbuilding stemming from community self-determination. In a place-based strategy, each local initiative or program the Department creates or engages is nuanced, tailored to meet the community’s particular needs for housing and services, based on the local context and resources. Such a community-driven, place-based strategy can help ensure HUD’s response to any special designations such as preference points, that enhance coordination and leverage among Federal economic and social investments. ^ HUD will bolster support of small businesses in communities that include HUD-assisted housing through enforcement of Section 3 requirements. These efforts, led by the Office of Field Policy and Management, will be reinforced by building the capacity of its partner organizations and grantees to improve the delivery of HUD programs. Where it is possible and practical to do so, HUD will advance inclusive hiring practices and local contracting policies for delivery of housing and community-related projects. This will build wealth and income in low-income communities as part of the provision of housing and services. The Department aims to better reach individuals and communities who experience heightened barriers to accessing HUD services. Furthermore, the Department will seek to better promote entrepreneurship as an avenue for building wealth in underserved communities, including Tribal lands. ^ HUD recognizes the benefit and need for holistic services to improve assisted resident outcomes and overall community economic health. The Department will work to collaborate with both governmental and nongovernmental partners to empower greater economic development, and community wealth-building. HUD will also better align supportive services for wealth-building opportunities for individuals. HUD, with its partners, will increase assisted residents’ access to financial empowerment opportunities and advancement, workforce development programs, pre-apprenticeship programs, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship, and additional wealthbuilding opportunities. Programs will be designed to equip participants with the requisite skills and resources for building assets. The Department’s focus includes addressing existing gaps in services while mitigating the potential steep drop in government benefits that accompany rising income. Such drops in benefits often pose barriers to wealth creation and improved economic outcomes. Expanding HUD’s understanding of what success looks like, as well as how it is achieved, is crucial to accomplishing this objective.Affordable HousingEnsure Access to and Increase the Production of Affordable Housing_fcfdab30-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea002Office of the Secretary LEADING THIS GOALEnsure housing demand is matched by adequate production of new homes and equitable access to housing opportunities for all people. ~ HUD will increase access to rental assistance and the production of affordable housing. Department-led increases will benefit families and communities by increasing the availability of safe, high quality, and affordable housing. Accomplishing this goal includes evaluating HUD’s programs to identify ways the Federal government can make assisted and other affordable housing and related services work better for families. HUD will achieve this by implementing best practice improvements that have been demonstrated to be effective. These improvements will be aimed at growing the supply of housing and making newly created housing affordable for families. Equitably achieving this goal requires diversifying the location of affordable housing developments and landlords that accept rental assistance. These efforts will give families real, viable choices in where they live. Success will be furthered by the delivery of services and supports that strengthen families. ^ At the center of HUD’s goal to increase housing affordability is the need to listen to customers and other stakeholders. Through a robust Customer Experience (CX) effort, the Department will elevate voices to the diverse population of customers that it serves. The policies, objectives, and strategies HUD will pursue in support of this goal will be based upon continuous outreach to understand the lived experiences of HUD customers. ^ Expanded access to homeownership opportunities, rental assistance, and affordable housing options are all vital for families to thrive.SupplyIncrease the Supply of Housing_fcfdaeb4-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea002AOffice of HousingLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEEnhance HUD’s programs that increase the production and supply of housing across the country. ~ An abundant supply of housing is essential to ensuring that all households have access to quality, affordable homes. HUD aims to increase the supply of housing across the country to ensure all people’s housing needs to improve housing security in all American communities. The Department will work to strengthen housing production in a safe and timely manner. HUD programs will make more single-family homes available to owneroccupants, local governments, and non-profit organizations. Doing so will support the Biden Administration’s priority to increase the supply of housing for the lower and middle segments of the housing market. HUD will also increase the supply of rental housing, with an emphasis on creating more affordable housing in areas of opportunity. The Department will continue to work with state and local governments to boost the housing supply. HUD and its partners will achieve this by leveraging existing Federal funds to spark action at the local level. HUD will provide its partners technical assistance in eliminating barriers to housing production, such as exclusionary zoning, while promoting homeownership opportunity to more individuals and families. ^ HUD will employ all resources at its disposal to bolster the national housing supply by 1) increasing new construction; 2) preserving existing housing; 3) and supporting the production of manufactured housing.Rental AssistanceImprove Rental Assistance_fcfdb0da-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea002BRentersOffice of Public and Indian HousingLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEImprove rental assistance to address the need for affordable housing. ^ APG 2B ~ By September 30, 2023, maximize the reach of HUD’s rental assistance programs by increasing the occupancy rates to 96% in the Public and Multifamily Housing programs and the budget utilization rate to 100% in the Housing Choice Voucher program. ^ The Nation’s housing affordability crisis highlights the importance of maximizing the reach of HUD’s rental assistance programs to assist as many households as possible. Underscoring this crisis is the need for assisted renters to have equitable access to quality housing options best suited to their needs. To do this HUD will further efforts to ensure all housing — especially housing tied to HUD rental assistance — is consistently high quality, healthy, and safe. To meet these goals, HUD will focus its efforts on 1) Increasing the utilization of Housing Choice Vouchers, including vouchers for special populations; 2) Increasing the occupancy of Public Housing and Multifamily units; 3) Addressing the backlog of inspections for Public Housing and Multifamily properties; and 4) Reviewing existing processes and developing necessary processes to hold owners of Multifamily and Project-Based Voucher properties with poor conditions accountable. ^ HUD will increase Public and Multifamily Housing occupancy rates to 96% by September 30, 2023. For the Housing Choice Voucher program, HUD will work with Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to restore budget utilization to its pre-COVID pandemic average of 100% by September 30, 2023. This will serve as an interim step toward the goal of enabling families to use all available vouchers, including those that could be funded with excess reserves. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its economic aftermath, have disrupted the operations of PHAs, Multifamily property owners, and, more broadly, rental markets. These disruptions have reduced Housing Choice Voucher utilization and Public Housing and Multifamily properties’ occupancy rates. The Department will leverage its technical assistance and policy tools to help PHAs and Multifamily owners improve performance as the pandemic’s effects subside. ^ Because well-located, accessible housing is critical to the wellbeing of successful adults and children, HUD will reinforce its efforts to expand housing opportunities for households receiving rental assistance. This will include: 1) Disseminating a new toolkit for PHAs on how to launch and run a mobility program that draws on lessons from the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration; and 2) Strengthening PHAs’ incentives to expand households’ housing options by revamping the Section Eight Management Assessment Program. ^ HUD will focus on ensuring the units occupied by households receiving HUD assistance are safe and habitable. The Department will eliminate the backlog of inspections of Public and Multifamily Housing properties that have been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, HUD plans to institute the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). NSPIRE will prioritize the detection and elimination of in-unit health and safety hazards, in accordance with these improved standards. ^ Additionally, the Department will focus on addressing poor performing property owners participating in HUD’s Multifamily Project-Based Section 8, Section 202, and Section 811 programs and HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Project-Based Voucher program. HUD will review existing processes and establish new procedures necessary for HUD and PHAs to hold poor performers accountable. These measures will advance HUD’s ability to improve the quality and increase the occupancy of these forms of assisted housing. ^ To support these strategies to improve rental assistance, HUD will modernize its information technology systems to use real-time data. Having access to the latest information will allow HUD to identify Multifamily owners with large portfolios and low occupancy rates. It will also provide insights into PHAs with low Housing Choice Voucher utilization rates and high reserves, including Moving to Work (MTW) agencies. Conversely, improved data will enable HUD to better reward high-performing owners and agencies for their effective execution of HUD programs.HomeownershipPromote Homeownership_fcfdb6f2-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea003HomeownersOffice of the SecretaryLEADING THIS GOALPromote homeownership opportunities, equitable access to credit for purchase and improvements, and wealthbuilding in underserved communities. ~ Homeownership is vital to promoting viable, inclusive economic opportunities to all. HUD is dedicated to helping individuals develop wealth by improving access to affordable homeownership. This will be achieved by maximizing the extension of credit for low-to-moderate income homebuyers and those underserved by the conventional mortgage market. ^ HUD will focus on policies that preserve homeownership for existing homeowners through all economic cycles. HUD will examine and revise regulatory burdens and policies that create barriers to sustainable homeownership. Departmental programs will, concurrently, promote tools that boost homeownership opportunity. ^ HUD will be a leading voice in the transformation of the housing finance system. HUD is committed to ensuring that housing policies do not reinforce discriminatory practices against protected classes under the Fair Housing Act. HUD services will be bolstered by policies and programs that support an equitable housing finance system. The Department will ensure this system serves all people equitably and fairly – from the Federal Housing Administration underwriting process through the Government National Mortgage Association’s engagement of capital markets. SustainabilityAdvance Sustainable Homeownership_fcfdba1c-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea003AFirst-Time HomebuyersHomeownersDelinquent HomeownersOffice of HousingLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEAdvance the deployment of tools and capital that put sustainable homeownership within reach. ^ APG 3A ~ HUD will maximize homeownership for creditworthy first-time homebuyers and preserve homeownership for existing homeowners. By September 30, 2023, HUD will maintain a first-time homebuyer rate of at least 80% for newly endorsed FHA-insured purchase mortgages and a re-default rate for seriously delinquent homeowners who received a loss mitigation action that is below 30%. ^ HUD is dedicated to addressing the needs of the people it serves by expanding access to credit and counseling support throughout all stages of the homeownership process. The Department will work to ensure that creditworthy borrowers can buy homes in a safe, secure, and nondiscriminatory manner.46 Knowledge-building and the promotion of safe, secure loan insurance products that meet consumers’ needs will be Departmental priorities. HUD will also analyze the insured mortgage programs of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the loan guarantee programs of the Office of Native American Programs for ways to help make capital more accessible to potential homebuyers. ^ Additionally, HUD will ensure that manufactured and other factory-built housing types are a thriving source of affordable, quality, durable, and safe housing. This will be achieved in part by the implementation of updated Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards. The new standards will improve the efficiency of construction and align Federal standards with industry best practices. ^ FHA mortgage insurance and the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) Mortgage-Backed Securities program provide greater access to capital and liquidity for those participating in aforementioned homeownership programs, particularly during times of economic stress. HUD will continue to examine its servicing standards to serve as many homebuyers as possible. Counter-cyclical liquidity will also be provided to ensure there is always a sustainable market for FHA-insured mortgages. HUD will utilize its resources to increase capital and ensure safe and responsible lending practices enabling more Americans to both purchase and keep their homes.OpportunitiesExpand Homeownership Opportunities_fcfdbe72-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea003A1Office of the SecretaryLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEMajor Initiative ~ Promote financing for innovative ownership models to increase the availability of affordable housing. ^ Today, families must navigate a housing market in crisis, with high prices and low supply. Supply is particularly limited for starter homes—smaller houses and condominiums that are more affordable for first-time homebuyers. Such high prices prevent millions of American households from owning their own homes. ^ HUD is dedicated to ensuring all people have access to affordable homeownership opportunities. Since its founding, HUD has helped individuals and families purchase homes at a variety of price points. ^ To better serve individuals and families, HUD will enhance existing supply programs to increase the supply of affordable owner-occupied housing and support innovations that lower the cost of homeownership. The Department will partner with communities to increase the use of HUD programs for affordable and sustainable homeownership. New investments in innovative homeownership models and housing types will be developed to further increase homebuyers’ affordable housing options. The Department will also prioritize homeownership in the sale of foreclosed properties, helping to limit conversions to rentals. Through enhanced use of existing programs and the pursuit of new and innovative solutions, more individuals and families will be able to obtain the dream of homeownership. FinanceCreate a More Accessible and Inclusive Housing Finance System_fcfdc55c-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea003BHomeownersRentersGovernment National Mortgage AssociationLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEAdvance new policy, programs, and modernization initiatives that support a more equitable housing finance system. Promote the preservation and creation of affordable housing stock. ^ For over fifty years, the Department has achieved the goal of reliably providing low-cost financing to American homeowners. HUD has achieved this through the home loan insurance programs administered by its Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) program administered by the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). ^ HUD aims to develop new methods of supporting affordable housing for homeowners and renters. The Department’s emphasis will be on reaching individuals and families who have not been afforded the opportunity to access Federal housing credit programs. This will include engagement with non-traditional lenders, including community-based institutions, to better reach underserved communities. ^ The Department is also committed to creating new methods of attracting and deploying capital in support of Federal housing credit programs. Improvements will be supported by the continued program expansion and modernization of Ginnie Mae’s IT platforms. Planned IT upgrades will ensure HUD delivers services to the marketplace more efficiently and securely. HUD will also work toward removing unnecessary barriers between government programs and those they are intended to serve. ^ In collaboration with Federal partners, HUD will play an active role in shaping the future of the housing finance system. Together, the Department will ensure the housing finance system operates more cohesively and effectively for both market participants and citizens.CommunitiesAdvance Sustainable Communities_fcfdc8f4-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea004CommunitiesOffice of the SecretaryLEADING THIS GOALAdvance sustainable communities by strengthening climate resilience and energy efficiency, promoting environmental justice, and recognizing housing’s role as essential to health. ~ HUD will advance sustainable communities by: 1) strengthening climate resilience and energy efficiency; 2) promoting environmental justice; and 3) recognizing housing’s role as essential to health. Health, climate resilience, and energy efficiency are critical to HUD’s mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities, and will be embedded across HUD programs. These issues deeply affect the well-being of every resident of HUD-assisted housing and their wider communities. ^ Everyone deserves a safe and healthy place to live. HUD seeks to integrate best practices in the areas of community health, customer experience, and equity to effectively adapt policies to the individual needs of local communities. Many residents of HUD-assisted housing face health- and climate-related challenges, especially in underserved communities, which is defined as populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life. This would also include the elderly, persons with disabilities, and individuals with experience with the justice system. Where a person lives is a reliable predictor of his or her long-term health, education, and employment outcomes. Due to this Nation’s history of segregating persons of color in close proximity to environmental hazards, and corresponding lack of investment in mitigating infrastructure, these communities have disproportionately experienced high and adverse human health, environmental, and other climate related impacts, Families and individuals living in underserved communities experience greater inequity and often face more dismal health outcomes as a result. They are also often more vulnerable to extreme weather events and natural disasters resulting from changing climate. ^ Recognizing that each community’s needs are as unique as the communities themselves, HUD will renew efforts to embed equity considerations in its programs to ensure they promote environmental justice for underserved populations. Placing customer experience at the center of service delivery empowers the Department to better understand the people it serves. Ensuring HUD stakeholders’ and customers’ needs drive policies will make the Department a better partner in supporting more equitable and sustainable, community-driven solutions; enabling neighborhoods across the country to be safer; and empowering its partners to be better, more efficient stewards of finite resources. ^ HUD will guide investment in climate preparedness and resilience to achieve the goal of advancing sustainable communities. It is crucial that the Federal government and its local partners effectively coordinate policies related to community development, climate change, energy efficiency, hazard mitigation, and resilience. When homes are more sustainable, operating expenses are lower. This reduces financial burdens on residents and preserves our world’s finite resources. HUD supports millions of housing units that could be made more energy-efficient and climate-resilient. Hence, HUD has a great opportunity to significantly increase climate resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions nationwide. Robust utility data tracking will inform desired impacts and outcomes. ^ The Department’s commitment to environmental justice includes developing and implementing a plan under the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. This initiative will ensure at least 40 percent of the overall benefits of many of HUD’s programs, including climate and sustainable affordable housing programs, are delivered to underserved communities. This will enable HUD to eliminate poor housing conditions that are associated with a wide range of health conditions, especially for the most vulnerable communities. ^ Lastly, this goal seeks to integrate healthcare and housing. HUD will help the health care sector to understand the role that housing plays as a determinant of health through use of data linkages with other health care organizations and summarization of evidence. HUD must also ensure that housing is used as a platform for better health care connections and delivery. HUD will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve health care services and delivery for people in HUD-assisted housing as well as ensure that HUD-assisted households know how to access those services. ^ Promoting environmental sustainability, protecting underserved populations from environmental hazards, and recognizing housing's essential role in the health of residents are key elements of HUD's vision; a vision to establish strong, sustainable communities that protect the natural environment, provide every resident with a healthy place to live and are more resilient to the effects of climate change.Climate ResilienceGuide Investment in Climate Resilience_fcfdcb7e-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea004AOffice of Community Planning and DevelopmentLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEInvest in climate resilience, energy efficiency, and renewable energy across HUD programs. ~ A key component of HUD’s plan to advance sustainable communities is to adopt policies that encourage and support climate resilience, energy efficiency, and renewable energy across HUD investments. Climate change is a worsening crisis that impacts communities across the United States and the world. Due to historic discrimination and disinvestment, underserved communities often suffer climate change’s consequences most acutely, deepening pre-existing societal inequities. The importance of addressing this crisis is reflected in this objective’s aim of improving national preparedness through proven climate resilience techniques. Concurrently, it promotes environmental justice practices that underpin strong, sustainable, and prosperous communities. ^ Among the Department’s most powerful tools to advance resilience are community development block grants provided for disaster recovery Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and mitigation (Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT)). These funds place partner communities in the driver’s seat to shape their responses to climate change-related risks and disaster events. The Department will expand the resources it offers to guide and encourage grantee practices that foster resilient projects and promote environmental justice. These resources will ensure grantees have the capacity to leverage HUD funds effectively to achieve their climate resilience goals and promote environmental justice in their allocations. ^ HUD will also lower greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency and renewable energy in HUD-assisted, financed, and insured projects. The Department will refocus its policies and programs to help transition the country to carbon-free energy sources and contribute toward the Administration’s goal of lowering economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least fifty percent by 2030. HUD will promote energy efficiency by strengthening energy and green building codes and standards across its programs. The Department will work to advance energy efficiency throughout its portfolio of HUD-assisted housing by taking steps to develop enterprise-wide standards for utility data collection, reporting, and tracking. These steps will facilitate the adoption of portfolio-wide utility benchmarking, which will enable better evaluation and tracking of energy and water usage – both at the individual property level and across HUD programs. The Department will also continue to offer Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured financing that allows borrowers to make energy efficient and climate hazard mitigation improvements. Additionally, HUD will continue to collaborate with Federal partners to foster innovation in the energy sector and remove barriers to energy efficiency and renewable energy. ^ Through these and other investments, HUD will advance the global effort to empower communities to adapt and thrive in the face of climate change. Together, with Departmental partners, HUD will chart a path to a sustainable energy future.Environmental JusticeStrengthen Environmental Justice_fcfdd574-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea004BLow-Income HouseholdsCommunities of ColorOffice of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy HomesLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEReduce exposure to health risks, environmental hazards, and substandard housing, especially for low-income households and communities of color. ^ APG 4B ~ By September 30, 2023, protect families from lead-based paint and other health hazards by making an additional 20,000 units of at-risk housing units healthy and lead-safe. ^ HUD has been a champion of the Federal government’s goal to address lead-based paint and other health and safety hazards in housing for families and children. Young children are especially at risk of the harmful effects of lead, to which even low-level exposure can increase the likelihood of behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, and in extreme cases, death. Exposure to other home environmental hazards, such as mold, radon, and pests are linked to chronic health conditions like asthma and cancer. HUD recognizes these hazards are disproportionately found in low-income housing and communities of color, making the remediation of such hazards a critical step to promoting environmental justice by increasing equity in housing and in health and safety. Through its programs, HUD has made over 400,000 homes lead-safe, contributing to a significant decline in blood-lead levels among US children in the past decade. HUD will continue work to reduce exposure to housingrelated health hazards, environmental hazards, and substandard housing, especially for underserved communities that are disproportionately impacted by these threats. ^ The Department continues to seek collaborations with Federal partners and state, Tribal, and local organizations to drive transformational change that will improve the lives of the people it serves. HUD will partner with fellow Federal agencies to advance a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to protecting families and children from lead hazards. The Department’s comprehensive strategy to remove lead-based paint and other housingrelated health and safety hazards includes leveraging public-private partnerships. These engagements will maximize the effect of lead-safe and healthy housing investments and increasing funding for local jurisdictions to build capacity to address lead-based paint and other housing-related health and safety hazards. To prevent lead poisoning and adverse effects of other hazards in HUD-assisted households, HUD will also: ensure compliance with lead safety rules through improved enforcement mechanisms; report annually on the production of public housing units made lead safe and/or healthy under PIH grant programs; increase community awareness of lead and other health and safety hazards through outreach events; increase participation in HUD and stakeholder services; and improve online content and its dissemination to the public seeking lead and healthy homes information and resources. HUD will lead an interagency pilot program, called RECLAIM, to support communitydriven efforts to revitalize distressed neighborhoods that are located near Superfund hazardous waste sites and contain public and/or HUD-assisted housing. Also, HUD will encourage Choice Neighborhoods grant applications for transforming neighborhoods with distressed public or other HUD-assisted multifamily housing, in communities where EPA has also provided grant funding to address Brownfields. ^ Recognizing the critical need to reduce exposure to harmful contamination from environmental hazards in addition to lead, HUD will develop Department-wide and program-specific radon policies. These will be joined by the development of best practices for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and other HUD grantees. HUD will also work to update the Department’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations, policy and guidance to better integrate strategies that mitigate climate and other environmental and health hazards, in HUDassisted activities, especially in underserved communities. These efforts include enhancing HUD’s Tribal Directory Assessment Tool (TDAT) to become a government-wide information system. Addressing environmental health hazard exposures and strengthening health and safety regulations and policies ultimately advances the Department’s work to eliminate socioeconomic disparities. Furthermore, HUD will protect underserved communities by developing and implementing a plan under the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. 74 This initiative will ensure at least 40 percent of the overall benefits of HUD lead hazard control and healthy homes investments are delivered to underserved communities. Through this work, HUD will reduce housing inequity and improve health outcomes for residents of HUD-assisted housing.Health & HousingIntegrate Health and Housing_fcfdd970-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea004COffice of Policy Development & ResearchLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEAdvance policies that recognize housing’s role as essential to health. ~ Health begins at home. The quality, affordability, stability, and location of a home are important factors for health and well-being. Over the past two decades, housing has been increasingly identified as an important social determinant of health. Federal collaboration in the health and housing arena is critical to appropriately respond to ongoing and emergent public health needs. As highlighted in Healthy People 2030, promoting “healthy and safe home environments” has the potential to significantly improve the Nation’s health and well-being over the next decade. ^ Recognizing the strong relationship between housing and health, HUD will improve health outcomes for assisted residents. Departmental efforts will tailor service delivery within assisted housing by focusing on the unique needs of special populations and increasing coordination with Federal health partners. Specifically, HUD embraces a life course perspective, an approach that emphasizes that health is shaped by lifelong exposures to various physical, environmental, and psychosocial factors. HUD is well positioned to support health at every stage of the life course. HUD’s public and assisted housing programs annually serve more than 10 million persons, including approximately 3.3 million children, 4.2 million women, 1.8 million older adults, and 2.6 million persons living with a disability. Additionally, an estimated 50,000 babies are born to HUD-assisted women every year. ^ To promote positive maternal and child health outcomes, the Department will work with public health partners to address housing insecurity for pregnant women. Prior research shows that women who experience evictions and other forms of housing insecurity during pregnancy are more likely to experience poor maternal and infant health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need for cross-sector approaches to promote health and wellbeing for Americans of all ages. The COVID-19 public health crisis has underscored the significant health disparities faced by HUD-assisted households and the need to increase HUD-assisted households’ access to quality healthcare and supportive services. Older adults living in public and assisted housing also represent a special population that could greatly benefit from increased service integration. A substantial fraction of HUDassisted households consists of older persons living independently—some residing with grandchildren and other family members—yet many need supports and services to continue to remain in their homes. Although assisted living facilities and nursing homes can provide crucial care when independent living is no longer appropriate, early, or avoidable moves to these settings can unnecessarily separate families. HUD will support the integration of healthcare and supportive services to enable older adults to continue living in an independent setting safely and remain close to their families. ^ Similarly, individuals with disabilities were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. HUD will focus on decreasing the proportion of individuals with disabilities living in institutions and other congregate settings, by further promoting access to affordable and accessible housing with sufficient supportive services to enable individuals with disabilities to live independently in the community. ^ To achieve these milestones, HUD must systematically examine opportunities to build stronger partnerships with health agencies to facilitate cross-sector policy integration. HUD plans to seek out and leverage improved data sharing mechanisms to better understand the complex health needs of HUD-assisted tenants. The Federal government, housing and healthcare providers, and philanthropic organizations must work together to successfully contribute to the integration of housing and healthcare services. The basic human need for a home encompasses more than simply shelter—it is a pathway to better health and wellness. CapacityStrengthen HUD’s Internal Capacity_fcfddc5e-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea005Office of the SecretaryLEADING THIS GOALStrengthen HUD’s internal capacity and efficiency to ensure better delivery of HUD’s mission. ~ HUD will strengthen the Department’s internal capacity and efficiency to better ensure delivery of its mission by: 1) supporting and developing HUD staff; 2) improving acquisition management; 3) strengthening information technology (IT), cybersecurity, and data management; 4) providing sound financial and grants management; and 5) institutionalizing the management of customer experience (CX) across HUD services. ^ Strengthening its workforce is vital to the successful delivery of HUD’s mission of creating strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. Without the Department’s talented staff, HUD would not be able to provide housing programs that many individuals rely on across the U.S. As such, HUD is committed to bolstering and enabling its workforce through hiring, training, providing opportunities for growth, and promoting a more inclusive work environment. ^ The Department is also committed to improving acquisition management through the development of a governance structure that promotes collaboration. Stronger, transparent ties will be made between the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer and the Departmental offices involved in procurement management. HUD aims to identify and implement procurement best practices that will streamline the acquisition process while encouraging participation from business partners in underserved communities. Targeted attention will be paid toward identifying solutions to potential gaps in outreach efforts. ^ Improvements to HUD’s information technology infrastructure is a key management objective that will be instrumental to strengthening the Department’s internal capacity and efficiency. HUD aims to bolster its IT and cybersecurity by prioritizing enterprise-wide IT modernization solutions. HUD is committed to working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office and Office of Inspector General to close outstanding audit findings, strengthen governance, and improve processes. ^ HUD will continue to enhance its financial resource management by re-engineering business processes and improving internal controls. The Department will build on financial reporting improvements to continue achieving clean audit opinions. Efforts will include a key focus on automation-driven strategies to improve grants management HUD-wide. ^ Lastly, the Department will establish a more customer-centric culture using CX tools to deliver thoughtful, welldesigned, and accessible information and services to the people HUD serves. A CX mindset offers a holistic approach to solving problems of equity. It does so by placing customers’ needs and success at the heart of the Department’s creation and delivery of services. CX provides tools to uncover patterns and causes of inequity while providing ways to “rewire” systems to produce more equitable outcomes. At the same time, CX provides methods to elevate the voice and power of underserved people by inviting individuals into the solution development process as experts in their lived experiences. The understandings and empathy developed by CX engagements with customers will provide the knowledge needed to bridge the equity gap to ensure HUD fully serves the needs of all people.WorkforceEnable the HUD Workforce_fcfde3b6-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea005AHUD WorkforceOffice of AdministrationLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEEnable the HUD workforce through hiring, training, opportunities for growth, and promoting a more engaged and inclusive work environment. ~ HUD requires a workforce that reflects the best and brightest of American society. The Department’s workforce must be inclusive, equitable, and accessible to all. These characteristics are essential to the provision of highquality, responsive service to the public. ^ HUD aims to better serve households and communities by attracting top talent to the right positions. Doing so requires the Department to effectively engage, manage, and support employees’ needs. HUD will provide improved hiring, training, growth, and innovation opportunities to all its employees. The Department will hire a diverse and highly skilled staff to help fill gaps inexperience across programs and operations. The Department also recognizes that some attrition is inevitable. HUD will address the loss of employees by prioritizing retention through employee engagement and succession planning. ^ Belonging is at the core of each of HUD’s foundational needs. The Department recognizes an inclusive culture, supportive of employee engagement, is essential to supporting its workforce to bring their full selves to work. Fostering such a culture will allow all employees to be heard, share fresh ideas, and provide unique perspectives. This is critical to employees’ well-being, sense of purpose, and motivation for enhancing HUD’s performance and mission success. The Department values the unique differences and shared values of each member of the HUD team. This commitment will be reflected in the prioritization of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the Department’s programs, policies, and practices. ^ Supporting HUD staff will involve various strategies. The first will be to ensure human capital planning processes enable HUD to hire and retain diverse, top talent. This will be supported by a focus on providing opportunities for continuous development and professional growth to meet HUD’s mission needs. Underlying the Department’s activities will be efforts to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion (including failure to accommodate), sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, age, disability (including failure to accommodate), genetic information, sexual orientation, and parental status, as well as retaliation for prior protected EEO activity. HUD’s focus will support the elimination of barriers that impede free and open competition in the workplace. The integration of DEIA principles into all of HUD’s programs, policies, and practices will ensure improvements are sustained over the long-term. These activities will feed the creation of a safe, engaged, and high-performing work culture at HUD. Such a positive work environment will increase workforce resiliency so Departmental operations can be sustained in times of crisis. Finally, HUD’s strategic improvements will be further supported by improved delivery of facility services to employees. ^ HUD’s people are the Department’s most valuable resource. The COVID-19 pandemic is a defining moment in the nation’s history; one which highlights the extent to which the country depends on the resiliency of its government workforce. The pandemic has presented an opportunity for HUD leadership to rethink how it operates. It has taught the Department that, as a public institution, it must be innovative and constantly seek new, better ways of doing business. HUD must constantly empower and enable its people. The Department’s workforce must be prepared, resourced, supported, and capable of providing the essential services necessary to the creation of strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.AcquisitionImprove Acquisition Management._fcfdebea-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea005BOffice of AdministrationLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEIdentify, procure, and execute acquisition management. ~ HUD programs rely on a well-functioning acquisition management process to execute mission objectives. To support these programs, the Department will increase capacity, transparency, communication, and intraDepartmental collaboration to ensure that mission-critical acquisitions are timely, strategic, and cost-effective.100 The Department will also strive to provide equitable access to contracting opportunities as they relate to engagement of small and large businesses. ^ To fully serve Departmental needs, HUD will provide quality professional development opportunities to members of the acquisition workforce, both in the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer and program offices. This will allow HUD employees to earn procurement certifications and build expertise in project and program management. Attrition and retention concerns will be addressed by increasing the size of the acquisition workforce across HUD to the level needed to ensure contracting processes are managed without delay. Workforce development activities, such as trainings, certifications, and skills gap assessments, will help ensure that the acquisition professionals have the knowledge and skills to fully serve the Department. ^ Acquisition management is a Department-wide process that relies on cooperation between HUD offices. Consistent annual procurement reviews enable HUD to evaluate its internal policy and risk management systems. To improve transparency and build accountability, HUD will develop an acquisition dashboard that will track each acquisition through its lifecycle – from planning and requirement development to contract closeout. This dashboard will ensure all members of the acquisition workforce, including those in HUD program offices, have continuous visibility into and can efficiently shepherd acquisitions through each stage of the contracting process. ^ HUD will further improve the procurement process by providing best practices to help offices develop requirements, identify funding, and submit requests on time. The goal will be to decrease the number of HUDinitiated unplanned acquisition actions. Cross-Departmental collaboration will ensure an increase in the percentage of timely procurement actions awarded, actionable acquisition requirements submitted, and actionable acquisition requirements awarded. Improved acquisition planning will also yield quality market research, which may produce: 1) more targeted socio-economic small business set-asides; 2) facilitate greater understanding of small business participation in the marketplace; 3) provide more realistic projections for small business utilization; and 4) allow more time to disseminate requirements to the small business community so they can better plan and prepare competitive proposals. These improvements will connect HUD to necessary goods and services earlier while reducing overhead costs. ^ HUD will increase equity in contracting opportunities by improving communication with and opportunities for small businesses. Furthermore, HUD will build on knowledge gained from the equity assessment it conducted on Departmental procurement activities. The Department will improve its practices to ensure small and small disadvantaged businesses have equitable access to HUD’s prime and sub-contracting procurement opportunities. This will be accomplished by the: 1) expansion of outreach to small business owners in underserved communities, 2) exploration of mechanisms for building the pipeline of qualified small businesses, and 3) continuation of data analyses to identify and address barriers to accessing HUD contracting opportunities. ^ The Department will also implement various sustainability practices in its acquisition process. HUD’s goal is to ensure that 100 percent of new eligible contract actions, including task or delivery orders under new contracts and existing contracts, meet applicable sustainable acquisition requirements. HUD will also require the supply or use of products and services that meet environmentally preferable categories, including those that are energy efficient, bio-based, water efficient, or are non-toxic or less toxic.ITStrengthen Information Technology_fcfdef0a-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea005COffice of the Chief Information OfficerLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEStrengthen information technology, cybersecurity, and data management. ~ HUD will continue to provide tools that are efficient, safe, secure, and resilient through improvements in Information Technology (IT), cybersecurity, and data management that support the Department’s mission. ^ Information Technology is the underpinning that allows HUD to properly function and provide essential services to the American public. By combining business and technology strategy efforts, HUD is better positioned to serve the needs of the public effectively and efficiently. HUD has identified several operations that would benefit from the modernization of its technology infrastructure, IT systems, and internal processes. HUD’s operations will be strengthened by increased ease of access to relevant and reliable data. This will drive the Department to experience an increase in public confidence, derived from a focus on cybersecurity, data governance and reliability. The Department envisions a safe and secure HUD that provides the tools for program offices, staff, and partners to accomplish their work in a safe and secure manner. Toward this end, HUD will address Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings. Efforts will ensure there are increased investments in IT infrastructure, cybersecurity improvements, and staff have the necessary knowledge, as well as resources, to succeed. HUD will continue to focus on decommissioning legacy IT systems. Simultaneously, HUD, will move to safe, sustainable, and standardized IT platforms that support operations enterprise-wide. HUD will strengthen its IT and data governance and structure to ensure proper support for program areas, oversight, and management. ^ HUD will renew its strategic focus on data governance. The Department’s core focus will be on increasing collaboration and transparency. This will enable leaders to make timely, well-informed policies and decisions. Enterprise-wide data solutions that support this purpose will allow HUD to work more efficiently and be more informed toward the execution of its missionFinances & GrantsEnhance Financial and Grants Management_fcfdf59a-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea005DOffice of the Chief Financial OfficerLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEProvide sound financial and grants management. ~ HUD aims to provide sound financial and grants management services so the Department can achieve financial excellence. HUD will work to maintain a clean audit opinion through sustaining improvements to internal controls, cash management, and cost accounting processes and coordination with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). To ensure priorities are aligned throughout the Department, HUD will facilitate quarterly governance meetings among program and support offices. The Department continues to modernize financial systems while simultaneously working to decommission legacy systems that burden HUD and the communities it serves. Improvements to the budget process will also be pursued. ^ In addition to improvements to Departmental financial, budget, and cost accounting processes, HUD will continue building the Department’s Enterprise Fraud and Risk Management (EFRM) Program. HUD aims to develop tools to help prevent and detect the misuse of taxpayer funds. HUD will address long-standing issues by bringing together program offices to preemptively identify and quickly resolve weaknesses. Doing so will drive progress toward the achievement of a positive, HUD-wide statement of assurance that internal controls over financial reporting are free of material weaknesses. Improvements made under this objective will enable HUD to be in a better position to reduce the number of open audit recommendations identified by OIG and GAO. ^ The Department remains focused on improving grants management and oversight by continuing to support the Federal government’s drive toward results-oriented accountability for grants. HUD will leverage the use of analytics and launch a dashboard that will measure the efficiency and timeliness of program offices’ Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) submissions. This increase in transparency will lead to the timely identification of obstacles, as well as yield data that will improve the Department’s overall NOFO issuance to ultimately benefit current and future grantees. HUD will also work to provide a more seamless grants management process by analyzing its current grants landscape and launching a pilot program to help program offices identify and address their grants-related business needs. This will include launching the Grants Evaluation Management System (GEMS) to provide a single portal for HUD’s Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) grant lifecycle.114 GEMS will provide a grant lifecycle management solution that provides more efficient oversight, reduces manual workload, and improves customer experience for HUD grantees. These focused efforts will provide Departmentwide opportunities to strengthen HUD’s data collection, the grants lifecycle, and overall financial management.ServicesImprove Ease, Effectiveness, and Trust in HUD Services_fcfdf98c-ec2b-11ec-927c-52223083ea005EOffice of the Chief Financial OfficerLEADING THIS OBJECTIVEInstitutionalize customer experience (CX) management and elevate the customer perspective across HUD. ~ HUD exists to ensure safe and affordable housing for all people residing in America by working with a wide range of customers—individuals, businesses, and organizations—that interact with the HUD directly or indirectly. HUD will meet the needs of its diverse customers by integrating their perspectives and lived experiences into the very fabric of what the Department does. In alignment with the Biden-Harris Management Agenda, HUD is committed to providing equitable customer experiences that will improve the efficiency, security, and effectiveness of Departmental services. HUD will drive this transformation toward customer-centricity by: 1) better understanding the lived experiences of HUD’s customers; 2) establishing a customer listening practice; 3) designing and implementing solutions that measurably improve CX; and 4) integrating customer-centricity into the culture and organization of HUD. ^ Identifying the scope of customer needs is critical to ensuring the Department is truly removing barriers to its offerings and improving public trust in government. To gain this understanding, HUD will investigate how its policies, programs, and services impact customers across the Department’s five Service Ecosystems. In doing so, HUD will apply special attention to exploring the impacts of two critical life events within each ecosystem – surviving a disaster and experiencing homelessness. ^ HUD will elevate the voice of its customers by establishing a robust customer listening practice in compliance with OMB Circular A-11 Section 280. A Department-wide implementation of a Voice of the Customer (VOC) tool would allow the Department to capture real-time feedback from customers at pivotal “Moments that Matter.” Measuring the experience of HUD’s customers and employees will equip the Department with the data and insight necessary to advance proactive solutions that improve accessibility and usability of services and information. ^ The Department will conduct CX improvement initiatives that will measurably improve HUD’s operations. HUD will create a formalized process for involving stakeholders by designing high-quality solutions using Human-Centered Design and co-creation methods. Furthermore, HUD will better enable cross-program and cross-partner collaboration by promoting data-sharing protocols and improving enterprise technology solutions. This will be achieved by embedding CX practices into the system development life cycle to ensure technology solutions are well-designed, widely accessible, and measurably improve customer experiences. ^ Sustaining customer-centricity means changing culture at every level. HUD will develop a customer-centric culture by providing employees with new CX tools, skills, and knowledge. The guiding focus will be on instilling the principles, practices, and processes necessary to ensure HUD decisions that are equitable, inclusive, and customer-centric. Together, these efforts will drive HUD toward an operational paradigm that puts customers first in the creation of strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.2022-03-282026-09-302022-06-14https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/FY2022-2026HUDStrategicPlan.pdfOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net