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Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)


RAD was created in order to give public housing authorities (PHAs) a powerful tool to preserve and improve public housing properties and address the $26 billion dollar nationwide backlog of deferred maintenance. RAD also gives owners of three HUD "legacy" program (Rent Supplement, Rental Assistance Payment, and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation) the opportunity to enter into long-term contracts that facilitate the financing of improvements.

Five Things You Should Know About Public Housing Conversions
  1. RAD allows public housing agencies to leverage public and private debt and equity in order to reinvest in the public housing stock. This is critical given the backlog of public housing capital needs - estimated at over $35 billion.
  2. In RAD, units move to a Section 8 platform with a long-term contract that, by law, must be renewed in perpetuity. A Use Agreement is also recorded under RAD further enforcing HUD’s long-term interest. This ensures that the units remain permanently affordable to low-income households.
  3. Residents benefit from a right of return, a prohibition against re-screening, and robust notification and relocation rights. Residents continue to pay 30% of their adjusted income towards the rent, maintain the same basic rights as they possess in the public housing program, and gain a new option to request tenant-based assistance if they wish to subsequently move from the property.
  4. RAD maintains the ongoing public stewardship of the converted property through clear rules requiring ongoing ownership or control by a public or non-profit entity.
  5. RAD is highly cost-effective, relying on shifting existing levels of public housing funds to the Section 8 accounts as properties convert.
RAD What's New
  • RAD's Resident Information Notice has been updated. The notice is available on our RAD Public Housing Residents web page. (September 1,2022)
  • New Press Releases from HUD News: HUD Closes Rental Assistance Demonstration Conversion Transaction with Franklin Housing Authority in Franklin, Tennessee to Build 76 New Construction Affordable Homes (August 25, 2022)
  • RAD in the News! The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published, "Atlanta receives $33M in HUD funding to preserve 284 affordable homes." This is a story of the Village at Castleberry Hill. Through RAD, Castleberry Hill's immediate and future needs are addressed through recapitalization, setting the project up for both financial and physical stability over the long-term. Visit our web page to read more. The press release published by HUD News is also available here. (August 3, 2022)
  • New Case Study! Knoxville's Community Development Corporation's Executive Director Q&A on RAD. Read our interview with KCDC Executive Director Ben Bentley as he discusses their conversion of Lonsdale Homes and how RAD helped them better manage and repair their affordable housing portfolio. (July 13, 2022)
  • RAD in the News! The Salt Lake City Tribune published, "SLC project will upgrade nearly 300 apartments dedicated to seniors and the disabled." This is a story of the $76 million overhaul of County High Rise and New City Plaza apartments as the region's housing shortage is hitting older residents hard. Visit our web page to read more. (July 6, 2022) 
 
RAD More Information
  • Want to know more about how RAD preserves affordable housing? Read our 2-pager, "Rental Assistance Demonstration: An Overview,” on how the RAD program works.
  • Residents, want to know more about RAD? Our web page, "What is RAD?" provides a glimpse of helpful information.
  • RAD for PRAC training videos are available. For more information visit our web page.
  • The RAD Complaint Process document is available. Read more on the process for Residents and their advocates or other stakeholders.
  • Looking for a Notice, Quick-Reference Guide, or another RAD Tool? Visit our RAD Statutes, Notices, Regulations & Tools web page for more information.
  • RAD data is available to the public. Visit the RAD Resource Desk and click on “Data and Resources.”
  • RAD Photo Essays documents a series of resident experience for properties that go through a RAD conversion.
  • The RADBlast!, an electronic communication sent to subscribers of our mailing list is now available online.
  • RAD Contact Information
    • Email rad@hud.gov for information about RAD for Public Housing
    • Email rad2@hud.gov for information about RAD for Multifamily Housing.