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HUD and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently awarded $43 million to 325 public housing agencies to provide permanent housing to more than 5,200 veterans experiencing homelessness. The supportive housing assistance is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the VA.

A recent HUD Memo announced Secretary Ben Carson’s consideration of revising the agency’s mission statement and removing anti-discrimination language and promises of inclusive communities. The modified mission statement reads: “HUD’s mission is to ensure Americans have access to fair, affordable housing and opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency, thereby strengthening our communities and nation.” The draft statement removes previous references to creating “inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination.”

According to a draft budget document obtained by CityLab, HUD may institute work requirements for public housing residents and raise rents for about 4 million recipients of federal housing assistance. According to CityLab, HUD would not confirm or deny the draft amendment. The document sets forth line-by-line text changes to the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, the law that first established federal housing aid, plus adjustments to subsequent acts in 1959 and 1990.

In 2014, Congress extended authority for HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program to owners of Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) properties. Originally, Congress created the FSS program in 1990 to help housing assistance recipients increase their incomes and build their savings. Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) recipients contribute 30 percent of their income toward rent and utilities, with the voucher paying the remaining housing costs up to the public housing agency’s payment standard. Typically, as recipients’ incomes rise, so do the rents they must pay.