	HUD Administers 21 Technical Assistance Programs at an Annual Total Cost of between $128 Million and $201 Million

Between fiscal years 1998 and 2002, HUD administered a total of 21 technical assistance programs, most of which are associated with programs in its offices of Community Planning and Development and Public and Indian Housing. As shown in Figure 1, from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2002, the annual funding for all of HUD’s technical assistance programs ranged from $128 million to $201 million. These sums accounted for less than 1 percent of HUD’s overall budget, which averaged about $28 billion in each of those years. Technical Assistance Programs Vary by Program, Provider, and Recipient

While the overriding purpose of technical assistance is to improve the ability of program participants to administer HUD’s programs more effectively, each HUD program office determines its own approach and administers technical assistance according to its program needs. Table 2 describes the purpose of the technical assistance as defined by the five HUD program offices. The providers of technical assistance can be HUD officials but typically are entities or organizations that receive funding from HUD to deliver such assistance. The recipients of the Office of Community Planning and Development’s technical assistance are local nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and other organizations participating in and receiving funds through HUD’s community development programs. The providers of the technical assistance are resident and other nonprofit organizations. The training was designed to increase the knowledge and build the capacity of public housing agencies, their residents, and state and local officials involved in planning and rulemaking. HUD refers to all three award mechanisms as funding instruments. HUD does not offer any central guidance on, or require its program offices to directly measure, the impact or outcomes of the technical assistance programs they administer. While some program officials have said that it is difficult or not even possible to measure the impact of technical assistance, other program offices have impact measures in place.
Why GAO Did This Study

This testimony discusses the results of GAO's review of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) technical assistance and capacity-building programs.

What GAO Found

Technical assistance programs can be defined as training designed to improve the performance or management of program recipients, such as teaching one-on-one procurement regulations to housing authority staff. Capacity building can be generally defined as funding to strengthen the capacity or capability of program recipients or providers--typically housing or community development organizations--thereby building the institutional knowledge within those organizations. The overall goal of both technical assistance and capacity building is to enhance the delivery of HUD's housing and community development programs. HUD administers 21 technical assistance programs through five program offices. From fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2002, the annual funding for HUD technical assistance ranged between $128 million and $201 million, accounting for less than 1 percent of HUD's overall budget each year. Although the general purpose of HUD's technical assistance is to help program participants carry out HUD program goals, each program office designs technical assistance specifically related to its programs. Recipients could be states and units of local government, public or Indian housing agencies, private and nonprofit organizations, or individuals. Providers could be HUD officials or, more commonly, state or local governments, profit and nonprofit organizations, or public housing agencies. HUD awards funding for 17 of the 21 technical assistance programs competitively. The funding for the remaining programs is awarded noncompetitively. HUD uses three types of funding instruments and determines which type to use on the basis of its relationship with the awardee and the level of federal involvement anticipated. All five HUD program offices perform basic oversight of the technical assistance they administer, such as visually observing the technical assistance or reviewing reports submitted by the providers to ensure that the technical assistance was provided. In addition, some program offices also have impact measures in place. HUD does not measure the impact or outcome of technical assistance and does not offer any central guidance on how the program offices should measure its impact.