HUD Secretary Scott Turner in Phoenix: Homelessness funding and housing supply

U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner visited Phoenix and spoke with reporters about two issues: federal funding for programs to respond to homelessness and the need for more housing units in placed like Maricopa County.

Sec. Turner says HUD's pivot from "housing-first" toward "treatment-first" in federal funding to communities for homelessness solutions addresses "mental illness and drug addiction," what he calls the root causes of homelessness. However in June KTAR News 92.3 FM heard from the Maricopa Association of Governments, which disperses federal funds to address homelessness, that the changing priorities from HUD threaten long-term housing units and may push some occupants back out on the streets or into shelters. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also is engaged in an active lawsuit challenging the funding shifts.

In addition, Sec. Turner also visited Phoenix-based Cavco Industries as the Trump Administration looks to manufactured and modular homes as a way to boost the nation's housing supply. President Trump recently signed an executive order creating a federal task force reviewing how housing codes can be updated to allow American homebuyers to utilize manufactured homes in more situations and areas. Sec. Turner says builders like Cavco can be a great boon to the nation's need for more homes.