NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 21: Scott Turner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaks during the 2026 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York Times Square on September 21, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)
Important Quotations
“We don’t want government subsidies to be a hammock. We want it to be a trampoline, a launching pad for people in America.”
The Hon. Scott Turner
Key Takeaways
Secretary Turner said his first goal is to return HUD to its mission of serving the most vulnerable Americans and helping more of them achieve homeownership, which he called the greatest creator of family wealth in America.
Turner said builders, developers, mayors, and elected officials consistently name regulation as the top barrier to affordable housing. He said regulation accounts for about $100,000 of the roughly $400,000 median home price. HUD rescinded the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which he argued made Washington a “national zoning board,” and a Biden-era energy code determination he said could add $31,000 per home. HUD’s Regulatory Best Practices Report offers states and cities examples of reforms, as suggestions rather than mandates.
HUD doesn’t control interest rates, which are near 7%, so Turner is focused on cutting costs and increasing supply, which he estimated is short by 5 to 7 million units. He highlighted manufactured housing, home to about 22 million Americans, which the ROAD to Housing Act makes more flexible to build. He also said HUD’s FHA program served 1.5 million homebuyers last year, 80% of them first-time buyers.
The administration has shifted from “Housing First” to “treatment first.” Turner argued that record federal homelessness funding of about $4 billion has coincided with record homelessness. His approach pairs housing with addiction and mental health treatment and other support services, with the goal of self-sufficiency.
Turner said HUD is going after fraud and poor results in homelessness programs, citing action against Los Angeles’s LAHSA, which he said received about $1 billion over five years “with zero results.” He also claimed more than $220 billion was saved last year by going after corruption.
He favors private-sector solutions and said able-bodied, working-age residents stay in subsidized housing for an average of 15 years. HUD has proposed time limits and work requirements for that group, explicitly excluding the elderly and disabled, while expanding support services and “Moving to Work” programs at local housing authorities.
His personal mission is being a careful steward of taxpayer money and helping people reach their potential. He pointed to Opportunity Zones, which he said have lifted one million people out of poverty since 2019, and welcomed making them permanent.
Action Items
State and local governments should review HUD’s Regulatory Best Practices Report and cut zoning, permitting, and code barriers that raise the cost of building housing.
Expand housing supply of all types, including manufactured housing, using the new flexibility under the ROAD to Housing Act.
Promote the FHA program to first-time and low- to middle-income homebuyers to offset high interest rates.
Pair housing for people experiencing homelessness with addiction treatment, mental health care, and other support services, and fund programs based on measurable outcomes.
Strengthen oversight of homelessness grants so funds are tied to results and misuse is caught early.
Help able-bodied residents of subsidized housing move toward self-sufficiency through job training and support services, and use Opportunity Zones to drive local investment.
