Strategic Planning and Goal Setting in a Politicized Environment: The Case of HUD, USICH, and Homelessness

This study analyzes the hierarchy of goals and objectives that were adopted to reduce homelessness in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) strategic plans during three successive presidential administrations after passage of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. Based on a document review and interviews with current and former federal officials, the analysis reveals that HUD's strategic goals, strategic objectives, and agency priority goals for homelessness that were written in each presidential administration reflected the preferences and ideology of politically appointed leaders particularly in response to the emergence of a national policy of Housing First.

Automated summary

This study examines the hierarchy of goals and objectives implemented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address homelessness after the passage of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. Through document review and interviews with current and former federal officials, the analysis demonstrates that HUD's strategic plans for homelessness have been influenced by politically appointed leaders' preferences and ideologies, particularly in response to the adoption of the Housing First national policy.