HUD's Community Compass initiative funds technical assistance (TA) and capacity building activities for HUD's customers, including grantees, public housing authorities, and tribes. Managed by the Technical Assistance Division, Community Compass is an innovative, outcome-focused approach and a collaborative effort among HUD, its customers, and the organizations providing TA and capacity building on behalf of HUD.

Community Compass helps HUD's customers navigate complex housing and community development challenges by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, tools, capacity, and systems to implement HUD programs and policies successfully. The goal of Community Compass is to empower communities so that successful program implementation is sustained over the long term.

Recognizing that HUD’s customers often interact with a variety of HUD programs as they deliver housing or community development services, Community Compass brings together TA investments from across HUD program offices, including the Office of Community Planning and Development, the Office of Housing, the Office of Public and Indian Housing, and the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity for the following programs, policies, and initiatives:

• Affordable Housing & Community Development: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Economic Development Initiatives (EDI), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Housing Counseling, Housing Trust Fund, Multifamily Housing Preservation, Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program, and Section 202 Direct Loan program
• Disaster recovery and resiliency: Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and CDBG Mitigation (CDBG-MIT)
• Energy Efficiency and Environmental Review: Better Buildings Challenge Partners (BBC)
• Fair Housing: National Fair Housing Training Academy (NFHTA) and other initiatives
• Homeless Assistance: Continuum of Care (CoC), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Pay for Success demonstration, Rural Housing Stability Program (RHSP), and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
• Housing for Special Populations: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
• Native American Programs: Indian Housing Block Grant and Native Hawaiian Block Grant
• Public Housing: Housing Choice Vouchers, Public Housing Administrative Receiverships, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), Choice Neighborhoods, Jobs Plus, Section 8, and other project-based rental assistance
• Rural: Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) Programs and Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP)
• Secretarial and Administrative programs and initiatives: EnVision Centers, Opportunity Zones, Promise Zones, etc.
• Supplemental Programs: CARES Act and Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP)

Activities performed under Community Compass include:

• Needs assessments
• Direct Technical Assistance and Capacity Building engagements
• Development of products and tools
• Self-directed and group learning
• Knowledge management
• Data reporting, analysis and management
• NAHASDA allocation formula administration and negotiated rulemaking support

In addition to this TA initiative, learn more about another HUD TA offering for Distressed Cities Technical Assistance.

Content current as of November 6, 2020.