what is the u s department of housing and urban development hud 
the department of housing and urban development hud is a u s government agency created in 1965 as part of then president lyndon johnson s great society agenda to expand america s welfare state its primary mission is improving affordable homeownership opportunities to support the housing market and homeownership in inner city areas 1hud s programs are geared toward increasing safe and affordable rental options reducing chronic homelessness fighting housing discrimination by ensuring equal opportunity in the rental and purchase markets and supporting vulnerable populations understanding hudhud enforces the fair housing act and oversees the community development block grant program and the housing choice voucher program it also supervises other programs to assist low income and disadvantaged americans with their housing needs and it works with various government agencies and private organizations including community nonprofits and faith based groups to reach its goals 2following hurricane katrina hud became involved in disaster recovery in the gulf coast region 3the fair housing act prohibits discrimination in housing based on sex race color national origin religion family status and disability hud investigates any cases concerning the refusal to rent or sell a property denying someone a dwelling falsely stating that properties are unavailable and imposing different terms or conditions based on any of the aforementioned discriminating conditions 4hud is led by the hud secretary a member of the president s cabinet who is nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate the position is currently held by marcia fudge who took office on march 10 2021 1types of hud assistance programshud offers various assistance programs for those in need of housing financial assistance the office of housing is the largest office within hud and includes the federal housing administration as stated on the hud website the duties of the office include the community development block grant program allocates federal grant money to communities to develop neighborhoods that have decent affordable housing 6 these grants typically aid low and middle income residents so they can find suitable living environments near employers supermarkets or public transportation states cities towns communities and organizations apply for these block grants or for loan guarantees to aid in development projects 7the housing choice voucher program also called section 8 allows low income disabled or elderly citizens to choose a place to live regardless of whether the property exists as subsidized housing the property must meet certain requirements and applicants need to meet government standards to qualify 8local public housing authorities determine a moderately priced housing option based on local real estate prices before deciding the benefits that families or individuals can receive families then seek out a housing unit for the number of people who will live in the house duplex or apartment a family who is issued a housing voucher must find housing where the owner agrees to rent under the voucher program and the rental unit must meet standards of health and safety that are determined by the public housing agency pha 8the vouchers are administered by local public housing agencies phas that are funded by hud the pha pays the subsidy directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant and the tenant pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program hud states that to be eligible for the voucher program the tenant s income may not exceed 50 of the median income for the area 8families can move from one housing unit to another because of income changes job status or the addition of family members the voucher program attempts to allow for mobility without losing housing benefits beneficiaries with vouchers sign leases with property owners that have this program with subsidized housing residents sign leases with property managers who oversee federally owned projects 8the office of public and indian housing pih exists to ensure access to safe decent and affordable housing the pih also works to create opportunities to help residents become self sufficient and economically independent 9hud established its office of public housing to help provide safe and decent rental housing for eligible low income families as well as the elderly and people with disabilities this includes access to single family homes as well as housing in multi unit properties an estimated 1 2 million households live in public housing units that are managed by entities overseen by hud 10the office of community planning and development cpd works to develop viable communities by promoting integrated approaches in providing decent housing suitable living environments and expanding economic opportunities for low and moderate income individuals and households the office achieves this goal by developing partnerships among the government and private sector organizations including those that operate on a for profit and non profit basis 11the office of policy development and research supports hud s efforts to create cohesive and economically viable communities by maintaining up to date information on the office is also tasked with conducting research on priority housing and community development issues the data generated is then used to help inform hud policy decisions hud user is an online informational resource for academics researchers policymakers and the american public the office of fair housing and equal opportunity fheo exists to eliminate housing discrimination promote economic opportunity and achieve diverse inclusive communities by leading the nation in the enforcement administration development and public understanding of federal fair housing policies and laws 13as stated on their website some of the laws that fheo implements and enforces include 13fheo is also responsible for investigating fair housing complaints conducting compliance reviews ensuring civil rights in hud programs and managing fair housing grants ginnie mae makes affordable housing a reality for low and moderate income households by helping to funnel capital into the housing market the ginnie mae guaranty program allows mortgage lenders to get a better price for loans in the secondary mortgage market lenders can use the proceeds to fund new loans which enables the mortgage market to maintain liquidity 14ginnie mae doesn t buy or sell loans or issue mortgage backed securities but it does guarantee investors the timely payment of interest and principal on mortgage backed securities that are backed by federally insured or guaranteed loans 14ginnie mae has never been the recipient of a government bailout 14hud oversees a number of other programs and offices including 15each of these programs and offices play a different role in ensuring fair and equal access to housing 