HUD opens storefront office to give better service
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development opened its first storefront office Wednesday, setting a new way to help Americans rent, buy and improve their homes. The 8,000-square-foot Washington facility will offer person-to-person contact with HUD staff members, and information on an array of services. Those include applying for HUD loans and grants, buying and building housing, applying for rental assistance, filing housing discrimination complaints and help for the homeless Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo said HUD’s Washington storefront is the first of a fleet of HUD “stores” that will open in 81 cities “We will, quite literally, turn HUD into a department on the move — able to set up shop anywhere, any time to serve anyone who can benefit by our programs,” Cuomo said. Officials said the storefront cost $687,000, including a one-time $233,000 design fee that will not be part of the cost of future neighborhood offices. Previously, HUD regional offices were located in standard-issue government office buildings. More : edition.cnn.com |