It's 200,000 and counting at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's single-family Customer Service Center based in Richmond, Virginia.

At 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16^th, the Center's staff provided telephone assistance to its 200,000^th customer since opening in February 2000. The Center's 17 person staff responds to telephone inquiries from homeowners and purchasers, lenders and realtors, appraisers and brokers from the District of Columbia and 15 Mid-Atlantic States, including Virginia.

"Whether via the telephone or via the worldwide web, a drop-in visit or a conversation with HUD staff at a homeownership fair, HUD likes to give its customers plenty of different ways to knock on our front door and get the help they need," said HUD Richmond Field Office Director Mary Ann Wilson. "Though it's just a little over two years old, our single-family Customer Service Center already has become an essential mechanism for responding to and serving our customers."

According to Wilson, one of the most frequently requested services provided by the Center is information about how to purchase a home using HUD mortgage insurance programs which provide buyers with low down-payment requirements, more flexible underwriting and easier-to-assemble down payments. The Center also receives many calls about how to buy a HUD home, how to obtain a refund when a HUD-insured home is sold or refinanced, how to receive free HUD-approved housing counseling services and how realtors and lenders can participate in HUD homeownership programs.

The toll-free telephone number for HUD's Homeownership Customer Service Center is (800) 440-8647 and the hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The jurisdictions served by the Richmond center are the states of Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Michigan, Ohio and the District of Columbia.

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The Department has completed its FY 2003-2008 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan outlines a revised Strategic framework, including realigned goals and objectives. It emphasizes the Administration's key priorities in the areas of minority homeownership, RESPA reform, predatory lending, and ending chronic homelessness.

The plan, which has been submitted to Congress, gives careful consideration to the President's Management Agenda, the resources available for HUD's programs, and the national trends that may affect the outcomes of the Department's programs. It also incorporates the counsel of HUD's partners in Congress, in federal, state and local government, and in the private sector, received through a broad and open consultation process. This new Strategic Plan defines the Department's long-term mission and identifies the long-term and intermediate measures the Department will use to track progress toward meeting its objectives. It is available on line, or by contacting HUD USER at (800) 245-2691.