Home / Rental Assistance Demonstration


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 25.6 billion dollar backlog of public housing capital improvements.
  2. In RAD, units move to a Section 8 platform with a long-term contract that, by law, must be renewed. This ensures that the units remain permanently affordable to low-income households.
  3. Residents continue to pay 30% of their income towards the rent and they maintain the same basic rights as they possess in the public housing program.
  4. RAD maintains the public stewardship of the converted property through clear rules on ongoing ownership and use.
  5. The RAD program is cost-neutral and does not increase HUD's budget. This program simply shifts units from the Public Housing program to the Section 8 program so thatproviders may leverage the private capital markets to make capital improvements.
RAD What's New
  • The webinar for the RAD Inventory Assessment Tool (Third Version) is now available on RAD's Resource Desk. For more information visit the "RAD Guideslines and References" section of the RAD's Statutes, Notices, Regulations & Tools web page. (7/12/2019)
  • Updates for the Closed Transactions under 2nd Component and Potential RAD Mod Rehab Projects lists. For more information visit our RAD 2 web page. (6/26/2019) 
  • The RAD Inventory Assessment Tool has been updated. The tool is designed for PHAs that are newly considering or reconsidering RAD at RAD rents based on the FY 18 Appropriation levels. For information and to access the tool "Guidelines and References" on our RAD's Statutes, Notices, Regulations & Tools web page. (6/26/2019)
  • New Photo Essay: RAD in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, "Accessible Affordable Housing for Our Nation's Veterans," is now available. To view the essay visit our Photo Essay web page. (5/23/2019)
  • RAD Successfully Winds Down Rent Supp Legacy Program, Preserving More Than 13,000 Affordable Housing Homes, Saving Residents from Displacement. Read more about it here. (2/12/2019)
  • RAD Rents for 2019 are available! For more information on RAD Rents visit the "RAD Rents for Public Housing Conversions" section of the RAD Statutes, Notices, Regulations & Tools web page. (12/17/2018)
RAD in the News
  • "RAD Preserves Affordable Housing in Neptune, New Jersey," published by the PD&R Edge Online Magazine, tells the story on how Silver Vistas added 84 subsidized units, preserving the long-term affordability under the RAD Program. Read more about it here. (2/5/2019)
RAD More Information
  • RAD Training 2018, "Keys to a Successful RAD Conversion" is available on our Events-RAD Training web page.
  • RAD Facts Sheets are available on the RAD Residents web page. Fact Sheets for Mod Rehab, Rent Supp and RAP are also available.
  • RAD data is available to the public. Visit the RAD Resource Desk and click on “Data and Resources.”
  • RAD resources and information are now on HUD Exchange.
  • RAD Photo Essays documents a series of resident experience for properties that go through a RAD conversion.
  • RAD Curb Appeal Project displays examples of PHAs who have been able to demonstrate good practices of curb appeal.
  • RAD Newsletter current and past issues available on the RAD Newsletter web page.
  • 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 1st Component
    • Email rad2@hud.gov for information about RAD 2nd Component
  • To receive periodic updates about the RAD program, join our mailing list.