Update: Maybe HUD Is Not A Dud And The Washington Post Was Just Slinging Mud?

Earlier this week, we posted a story about the Washington Post's year-long investigation into HUD's HOME Program which was designed to provide affordable housing to the  working poor ("HUD Is A Dud According To Washington Post Investigative Report").  As you might recall, the investigation slammed HUD's management of the HOME Program as "dysfunctional."  HUD has now posted a response on its blog (the cleverly title HUDdle), called "Setting The Record Straight: What The Washington Post Got Wrong About The HOME Program."  After reading the response, you may be left with the impression that HUD could have shortened it to one word -- "everything" -- because it offers a strikingly different view of the HOME Program than the one presented in the Post.  Among other things, HUD criticized the Post's study for: (1) unfairly focusing on a small percentage, approximately 2.5%, of the more than 28,000 active developments underway pursuant to the HOME Program; and (2) failing to factor the nationwide housing crisis into the equation. 

In a follow up article, "Members Of Congress Call For Probe Of HUD's Affordable-Housing Program," the Post noted that it never intended to track all 28,000 projects, but instead analyzed 5,100 deals worth $50,000 or more, hundreds of which were started before the housing crisis began.  The Post also reported that, in response to its study, a bipartisan group of Senators and Congressmen were calling for investigations into the program.

View more from the Porzio Real Property Blog.

We welcome and encourage your comments below.  Also, please subscribe to the Porzio Real Property Blog to keep up with the latest news and information about New Jersey land use, real estate, and environmental issues.

For more information about LexisNexis products and solutions connect with us through our corporate site.