Work & Dignity Coalition

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Work & Dignity Coalition represents a transformational shift in how the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approaches housing assistance, economic mobility, and long-term outcomes for American families. This coalition is rooted in the belief that federal housing programs should not only provide stability in times of hardship, but should also actively promote pathways to independence, upward mobility, and long-term self-sufficiency.

HUD’s proposed rule (FR-6520) introduces new flexibility for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) owners to implement work requirements, time limits, and supportive service frameworks for able-bodied, non-elderly adults receiving assistance. These tools are designed to better align housing policy with workforce participation, while maintaining strong protections for vulnerable populations including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and children.

WORK & DIGNITY COALITION

HUD launched the Work & Dignity Coalition to bring together housing authorities, property owners, tribes, and community partners committed to advancing policies that promote work, self-sufficiency, and economic mobility.

Coalition members share a commitment to:

Promoting work as a pathway to independence
Implementing policies that encourage accountability
Providing supportive services that reduce barriers to employment
Strengthening partnerships with workforce and community organizations
Sharing best practices and learning across jurisdictions

For more information, please contact us at WorkandDignity@hud.gov.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Work & Dignity Coalition is to restore federal housing assistance to its intended role as a temporary support system that helps individuals and families stabilize during periods of hardship and transition to long-term independence.

Over time, housing assistance programs have drifted from this original purpose. While they continue to provide critical support, current structures can unintentionally discourage workforce participation and contribute to extended reliance on assistance. The Work & Dignity Coalition seeks to correct this drift by reintroducing accountability, reinforcing opportunity, and ensuring that assistance functions as a pathway forward-not a permanent endpoint.

At its core, this coalition reflects a commitment to human potential. It is grounded in the belief that individuals thrive when they are empowered to work, contribute, and build better futures for themselves and their families.

[Work and Dignity Coalition]
Secretary Turner at Work and Dignity Coalition event

OBJECTIVES

The Work & Dignity coalition is guided by a set of core objectives that shape both policy design and implementation strategy:

Promote Workforce Participation - Encourage able-bodied adults to engage in employment, job training, education, or community service activities that build skills and increase long-term earning potential.
Increase Household Income - Support families in achieving meaningful income growth through employment and career advancement, leading to greater financial stability.
Reduce Long-Term Dependency - Address patterns of prolonged reliance on housing assistance by creating structured pathways toward self-sufficiency.
Expand Access for Families in Need - Free up limited housing resources so that more eligible families, - particularly those facing homelessness, domestic crises, or economic instability-can receive assistance.
Empower Local Decision Making - Provide PHAs and PBRA owners with the flexibility to design and implement policies that reflect local conditions, labor markets, and community needs.
Strengthen Supportive Services - Ensure that work requirements and time limits are paired with robust support systems that reduce barriers to employment and promote long-term success.

PROBLEM STATEMENT & CONTEXT

The need for reform is underscored by a growing body of data highlighting long-term trends within federal housing assistance programs.

Nearly half of non-elderly, able-bodied households receiving HUD assistance did not have a single working adult in 2024. At the same time, the average duration of participation in major rental assistance programs has steadily increased-from approximately five to six years to nearly eight or nine years today.

More concerning, nearly 90 percent of able-bodied Section 8 voucher recipients will spend more than five years in subsidized housing, and approximately half will remain for more than 15 years. In some cases, multiple generations of families remain within assisted housing programs for decades.

While these trends persist, millions of eligible families remain on waiting lists, often for years. HUD currently serves only one in four eligible households, meaning that three out of four families who qualify for assistance do not receive it.

These conditions highlight a fundamental imbalance: limited resources are being stretched across long durations, while access remains constrained for those in urgent need. The Work & Dignity Coalition seeks to rebalance this system by promoting mobility, increasing turnover, and expanding opportunity.

[Work and Dignity Coalition]
Work and Dignity Coalition

POLICY OVERVIEW

HUD’s proposed rule introduces a framework that allows housing providers to implement work requirements and time limits in a manner that is flexible, locally driven, and supported by appropriate safeguards.

Under this framework, PHAs and PBRA owners may:

Establish Work Requirements: Participants may be required to engage in employment, job training, education, or community service activities for up to 40 hours per week.
Implement Time Limits: Housing assistance may be limited to a defined period (e.g., two years or more) for able-bodied, non-elderly adults, encouraging progress toward independence.
Integrate Supportive Services: Programs must incorporate or facilitate access to services such as job training, childcare support, transportation assistance, financial literacy education, and case management.
Maintain Safeguards: The policy explicitly protects seniors, individuals with disabilities, and children. These populations are not subject to work requirements or time limits.

This policy is not prescriptive. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all mandate, HUD’s approach is to empower local housing providers to design programs that reflect their unique communities while adhering to clear regulatory parameters.

LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES

Secretary Scott Turner emphasized the broader vision:

“Work requirements and time limits are not punishment. They are some of the best ways to restore dignity and opportunity. Earning a paycheck is empowering. Getting a welfare check is not. We want Americans to live purpose-driven lives, to restore pride in work, and to build futures defined by independence and stability.”

“We’re not kicking seniors out. We’re not putting children in the streets. This proposal applies only to able-bodied adults who are capable of work. It preserves protections while expanding access for families who are waiting for help.”

“In all labor there is purpose. Purpose brings meaning. Purpose brings motivation. And when individuals are connected to that purpose, we see stronger families, stronger communities, and stronger futures.”

Assistant Secretary Ben Hobbs added:

“Welfare checks bring temporary material relief - but permanent dependence on them destroys the human spirit. Work, not a welfare check, is the pathway to opportunity, stability, and the achievement of the American Dream.”

“Work requirements work. We’ve seen it across the country in Moving to Work agencies where supportive services and accountability are combined. The results are real, measurable, and life-changing.”

“Our goal is simple: to expand those successes so that more families across America have access to the same pathways to self-sufficiency.”

CASE STUDY: HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY

The Housing Authority of Champaign County serves as a leading example of how policy flexibility, when paired with strong supportive services, can drive meaningful outcomes.

Since implementing work requirement and supportive services model in 2014, average household incomes have increased by 96 percent and nearly 1,100 families have transitioned off HUD assistance, achieving long-term financial stability and, in some cases, homeownership. The Housing Authority of Champaign County has an essential mission that supports residents achieving self-sufficiency: "Create quality living environments as a foundation for individuals to achieve their full potential."

The Housing Authority of Champaign County has successfully leveraged local, state and county partnerships for the delivery of supportive services that support resident success. The housing authority has partnerships that range from work readiness and child care to health care, exemplifying that the work requirements and supportive services model is effective.

Resident Testimonials:

“They helped me become very self-sufficient. I couldn’t have done that without the Housing Authority. They gave me the pathways to become a homeowner.”

“You only get what you put in. The resources are there if you want to move forward and take care of yourself.”

These outcomes demonstrate that when expectations are paired with support, individuals can achieve significant and lasting progress.

PUBLIC COMMENT & FEDERAL REGISTER:

The proposed rule is subject to the federal rulemaking process and is open for public comment.

Stakeholders-including housing authorities, residents, advocacy organizations, and members of the public-are encouraged to review the proposed rule and submit feedback.

Submit public comments on the proposed rule (FR-6520-P-1) here

RESOURCES

Moving to Work
Moving to Work (MTW) is a demonstration program for public housing agencies (PHAs) that provides them the opportunity to design and test innovative, locally designed strategies that use Federal dollars more efficiently, help residents find employment and become self-sufficient, and increase housing choices for low-income families. MTW PHAs have been pioneering work accountability policies, including work requirements, term limits, and rent reforms, at the local level since the program’s inception in 1996.

Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS) is the nation’s largest asset-building program for low-income families, offering HUD-assisted residents a structured opportunity to set personal goals, increase earnings, and build long term savings through an interest-bearing escrow account. Dedicated coaches connect participants with local resources to address barriers and support progress toward employment and financial stability. The program is highly adaptable, enabling participants to pursue goals that are both achievable and meaningful for their families. Upon successful graduation from the program, typically within 5 years, participants can access accumulated savings which average approximately $9,800. In many cases, savings can be accessed while still in the program in order to address barriers to reaching family self-sufficiency goals.

As part of the 2025 Annual Report Survey, HUD asked respondents to share success stories from their participants. Dozens of FSS practitioners submitted stories of their participants which illustrate the impact that FSS has every day on families across the country. Selections of these stories are included below, with names changed to protect FSS participants’ privacy.

Resident Opportunity & Self Sufficiency Service Coordinator (ROSS-SC) Program): The Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency – Service Coordinator (ROSS-SC) Program provides competitive awards through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to public housing authorities, tribes/tribally designated housing entities, multifamily owners, non-profits, and resident associations to fund service coordinators who connect residents to education, employment, health, and supportive services that promote self-sufficiency. The ROSS-SC Program aligns with the Administration’s focus on work and dignity by advancing pathways to employment, economic mobility, and long-term upward mobility of HUD assisted residents. Self-sufficiency varies by household and life stage: for work-able residents, it includes progress toward economic independence; for youth, success in secondary education completion and positive transition to post-secondary or career pathways; and for older adults and persons with disabilities, the ability to maintain stable housing and quality of life through supportive services

Jobs Plus Initiative Program: HUD’s Jobs Plus program provides competitively-awarded grant funding to public housing authorities (PHAs) to develop locally-based, job-driven approaches that increase earnings and advance employment outcomes of public housing residents. The Jobs Plus model is comprised of 3 parts – employment-related services, a financial rent incentive, and community supports for work – and includes activities such as work readiness, employer linkages, job placement, educational advancement, technology skills, and financial literacy. This place-based program addresses poverty among public housing residents by incentivizing and enabling employment through earned income deductions in working residents’ rent calculations and a set of services designed to support work. Ideally, the Jobs Plus program will “saturate” the target site with these services, incentives, and community supports, building a culture of work and making working residents the norm.

The Jobs Plus program aligns with the Administration’s focus on work and dignity by advancing pathways to employment, economic mobility, and long-term upward mobility of HUD assisted residents. “Self-sufficiency” is defined as a household’s ability to maintain financial, housing, and personal/family stability.

The HUD Section 3 Program

MEDIA

These resources provide additional context, leadership perspectives, and real-world examples supporting the initiative.