Mixed Views While Martinez is still trying to put his plans for HUD in motion, one of his top priorities is to bring more homeownership opportunities to more American families. This translates into a concentration on single-family housing production.
“We are concerned that the department has not been advocating a balanced housing policy,” says Nardi Riddle. “It seems they are promoting homeownership as the way to go for everybody.”
She also would like the secretary to talk about multifamily housing and the fact that renters are good citizens who need quality housing. “We haven’t heard [from him] that multifamily plays a critical role in the housing policy, that it’s a valid choice and that there also is a sizable population that prefers it,” she says.
“You’ve got to learn how to crawl before you can walk,” says Collins. The same holds true with housing. “You have to learn to be a good renter before you can own. Rental properties are the stepping stones needed to allow people to move up to homeownership.”
Collins believes that Martinez is very sensitive to the needs of multifamily production. “He has put a lot of emphasis on single-family homes because there is a void there. But, he’s open to suggestions and sensitive to the needs of the renter community.”
Collins also says that Martinez is on the right track. “I’m very impressed with him and his background,” he says. “He has more than just bricks and mortar knowledge; he has experience that recognizes and recommends plans that integrates housing with community needs.”
When Martinez initially took office, he spoke to a number of groups about regional and smart growth, says Melkonian of Telesis. “I thought that was an encouraging sign that he was interested in those issues and speaking about them. I look forward to hearing more about that and HUD’s role in a 21st Century context,” she says.
In addition to decentralizing HUD and making the multifamily programs easier to use, the industry also would like to see HUD’s reputation change.
“This is a new HUD. Give HUD a second chance … but when you come to us, be creative, be aggressive and be innovative and you’re going to find a very responsive partner here,” says Martinez. “I think if HUD is viewed as a more responsive, well-managed agency, if the stigma that HUD has today is changed or eroded to a more positive one, then I think that would be a huge measure of success.”