Former HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman last year during a press conference on the National Mall unveiling a new plan to increase the supply of housing.

Now that the pomp and circumstance of inauguration has passed and Donald Trump is officially president of the United States, the American public is standing by on how he will approach a myriad of issues. At the top of the list of items awaiting Trump’s attention is housing, specifically issues around addressing nationwide , providing affordable housing and lower interest rates, and the need to close the racial housing gap, efforts that were prioritized under the Housing and Urban Development Department as instructed by President Joe Biden.

NAREB President Dr Courtney Johnson Rose “hopeful†her network of Black real estate brokers maintain its partnership with HUD in the new administration.

“There’s several other issues at play including Black women buying real estate, the fact that 2 million Black Americans are mortgage ready but aren’t pursuing buying a home, and then there’s the lack of inventory,†said Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose, president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB). “That’s the thing Trump has talked about that is more encouraging. There’s always going to be mid-range homes out there, but when it comes to affordability, the more homes there are, the more we can afford. The less the supply is, the higher the price will be. That’s driving us out of the marketplace.†

While promises from the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign platform created a lofty housing plan, it did, in fact, address the generational and racial homeownership gap and ensured first-time and first-generation home buyers could purchase homes with success and affordability. The plan also set out a timeline to create 3 million homes to address the housing inventory shortage. 

While Trump didn’t lay out a housing plan during his campaign, Project 2025–the publication put out by the conservative Heritage Foundation authored by former Trump administration officials–called for the “improvement” of HUD by eliminating its Housing First policies that address homelessness for families, ending property appraisal equity initiatives, and slashing fair housing regulation that support equity. 

While a member of the Trump-Vance transition team told “the cost of new homes will be cut in half, and President Trump will end the housing affordability crisis,†Trump did not mention in last Monday’s inauguration speech the current state of housing nor his efforts to solve the crisis. 

Former Texas lawmaker and local NFL cornerback Scott Turner awaits confirmation as secretary of HUD.

is Trump’s pick to lead HUD. While the former Texas state representative and NFL cornerback who played in D.C. from 1995-1997 did acknowledge a housing crisis during his Senate hearing earlier this month, he said HUD failed at its mission, which under the Biden-Harris administration was to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. Ironically, as a Texas lawmaker, Turner voted and championed zoning efforts benefitting commercial interests. 

As Turner awaits confirmation, Matthew Ammon, a career HUD official, will serve as acting secretary. Ammon served in the same role during the Biden-Harris administration, prior to Adrianne Todman taking over the acting secretary role in March 2024. 

Todman, who spoke regularly with The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Informer, said last summer that HUD tracked $600 million in savings to those who used HUD products, due to reductions in FHA fees, mortgage insurance premium fees and upfront costs for prospective home buyers–many of whom were Black and Brown. At the close of the administration last week,  

“President Biden made sure we prioritize equity and how we think about programs and rules,†said Todman last year, adding that $10 billion was earmarked in the 2025 budget to close the racial homeownership gap by helping a half million, first-generation prospective homeowners buy property. “He said we need to do everything we can to help first-time home buyers and first-generation home buyers–folks whose parents or grandparents didn’t own a home.â€

At the close of the Biden-Harris administration, HUD published a on its successes over the past four years which included investing nearly $5 billion in tribal communities; permanently housing or serving more than 1.2 million people experiencing homelessness; issuing more than 120,000 new housing vouchers over years, the most in any three-year period in 20 years; serving more than 5 million people in 2.5 million households in 2024; and driving near-record construction of 1.7 million new housing units built in 2022.

Todman also mentioned how helpful HUD’s partnership with NAREB is, a network of Black realtors who conduct research, advocate for, and educate communities around the nation on the landscape of home buying.

“We have had a long relationship over the years with HUD and we want to, of course, continue that into the new administration,†said Rose. “If Mr. Turner is confirmed, we have already reached out to him with a letter. We gave references and links to our State of Housing of Black America report, our Women Investing in Real Estate white paper, our report on appraisal bias and heirs property. We are trying to get ahead before he gets confirmed so that he at least knows who we are and the type of data we produce and have. A great percentage of HUD staff should remain–people that have 10 to 20 years with HUD–and they will hopefully mention the work of NAREB. We are grateful there are folks like that who have built their careers there.â€

Zerline Hughes Spruill curates Our House DC, The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Informer's monthly newsletter encouraging Black homeownership in Wards 7 and 8. A Ward 7 resident herself, Zerline's reporting and writing has...

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