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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 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
  • RAD hits 100,000 homes preserved! As RAD celebrates converting 100,000 public housing homes, we have captured the experience from the resident's perspective. Read more about it visit our Newsletter web page.
  • New Photo Essay: RAD in New Bern, North Carolina, "A Story of Community Rebirth," is now available. To read more about how RAD transformed this community visit our Photo Essay web page. (9/6/2018)
  • Due to the increase in the RAD CAP, the "RAD Waitlist" updates are no longer applicable, however, the new "Applications Under Review" list is now available to include data through August 8, 2018.
  • Potential RAD Mod Rehab Projects as of August 2, 2018. 
  • List of Closed Transactions under 2nd Component through August 2, 2018. 
RAD in the News
  • Coming Home: The 990 Pacific Relocation Story" shares how one nonprofit, Chinatown Community Development Center, transitioned a building from government to community control, saving the homes of 100 seniors and adults with disabilities in San Francisco Chinatown. These are their stories. (Published September 13, 2018)
  • As NYC Public Housing Tenants Suffer, a Glimmer of Hope Emerges. The Bloomberg captures the story of how Bayside Homes, the first development from NYCPHA to receive RAD funding, turned the project into "a paradise" according to one tenant. (Published August 2, 2018)
More RAD 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.
  • RAD data is available to the public. Visit the RAD Resource Desk and click on “Data and Resources.”
  • RAD information also 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.
  • RAD Case Studies of various projects have successfully converted to RAD in different communities across America is available.
  • 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.