FY 1998 - 2003 Strategic Plan
Forward

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a record of accomplishment that spans more than 30 years and seven Presidents. Thousands of communities and tens of millions of Americans have benefited from HUD's communit development and housing programs.

• HUD has helped create the National Homeownership Strategy, a group of housing industry and Government representatives. By increasing the number of local homeownership partnerships working in support of this effort, we hope to achieve the highest level of homeownership in the Nation's history.

• The "continuum of care" - our response to homelessness - has been established in cities across the country.

• HUD's comprehensive planning approach, known as the Consolidated Planning Process, enables cities to apply more extensive solutions to a myriad of urban problems by sharing information and best practices.

• Through HUD's leadership, blighted public housing high-rise projects are being demolished and replaced by small-scale, eonomically integrated buildings.

• A crackdown by HUD on gangs and violence in public and assisted housing throughout the Nation has resulted in thousands of arrests and confiscation of weapons.

• HUD is cracking down on landlords who run troubled HUD- assisted properties. Our efforts include punishment and removal as well as proposing legislation to prevent irresponsible landlords from using bankruptcy laws as a refuge from enforcement actions.

• The Operation Safe Home Program has been broadened to include both violent crime and white collar fraud to improve the standard of living in public and assisted housing.

• HUD's job creation programs have generated an unprecedented number of permanent and temporary jobs in distressed areas in the past four years.

• Over four million very low income families and individuals live in standard housing at rents they can afford and thousands of affordable housing units are produced each year.

HUD has made a difference in the quality of life for many Americans. A large majority of its state and local partners have carried out their work serving the public diligently and honestly. However, in the past 20 years, lack of vigilance has resulted in a number of scandals which has tainted the entire Department. A recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report indicated that the significant changes and management initiatives in the past four years have had a positive effect. However, the report said that "[HUD] efforts are far from reaching fruition, and HUD's programs continue to pose a high risk to the Government in terms of their vulnerability to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement." It is time for HUD to bring our management reforms to closure so that HUD can put its house in order for the coming century.

HUD's Management Reform Plan and its Strategic Plan outlined in this document will guide HUD through its transition into the next century.

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