HUD Secretary urges faith groups to lead homelessness recovery and opportunity-zone revitalization
June 29, 2026 | Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Executive, Federal
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The HUD Secretary, speaking at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event, urged greater partnership between his agency and faith-based organizations to address homelessness, disaster recovery and community revitalization.
He said faith groups provide holistic services—counseling, job training, addiction recovery and transitional housing—that help people move from crisis to stability. "We don't just house him, we put services with him. We loved him. We prayed for him," the HUD Secretary said as he described a family member who spent the last years of his life in dignity after receiving wraparound care.
The secretary criticized what he described as policies under the previous administration that excluded faith-based providers from funding unless they removed Christian language from mission statements and said HUD is now "welcoming faith-based organizations" to compete for assistance on a level playing field. He attributed that claim to his review of program practices but did not provide a citation or specific instances during the speech.
On disaster relief, he said federal responses must be tailored to local needs and highlighted Samaritan's Purse volunteers who helped rebuild a home in Asheville after a storm. He said faith groups have "boots on the ground" that allow them to assess and meet community needs quickly.
Framing community investment as stewardship, the secretary promoted opportunity zones as a long-term tool to attract private investment for affordable housing and small-business development. He claimed opportunity zones have brought "more than $100 billion" of investment and said they have "lifted more than 1 million people out of poverty, spurred the creation of half a million jobs and created 400,000 new homes." Those numbers were presented as his account and were not independently documented in the speech.
He encouraged faith-based organizations to form qualified opportunity-zone funds, repurpose underused properties and seek HUD guidance. "Our center for faith has been hard at work teaching faith leaders about how they can be a part of this transformative initiative," he said, urging attendees to contact HUD's faith office for more information.
The speech included repeated appeals to prayer and to support an initiative the speaker called "America Praise," and closed with thanks to organizers. No formal policy timeline, regulatory citations or dates for rulemaking or funding opportunities were provided during the remarks.
He said faith groups provide holistic services—counseling, job training, addiction recovery and transitional housing—that help people move from crisis to stability. "We don't just house him, we put services with him. We loved him. We prayed for him," the HUD Secretary said as he described a family member who spent the last years of his life in dignity after receiving wraparound care.
The secretary criticized what he described as policies under the previous administration that excluded faith-based providers from funding unless they removed Christian language from mission statements and said HUD is now "welcoming faith-based organizations" to compete for assistance on a level playing field. He attributed that claim to his review of program practices but did not provide a citation or specific instances during the speech.
On disaster relief, he said federal responses must be tailored to local needs and highlighted Samaritan's Purse volunteers who helped rebuild a home in Asheville after a storm. He said faith groups have "boots on the ground" that allow them to assess and meet community needs quickly.
Framing community investment as stewardship, the secretary promoted opportunity zones as a long-term tool to attract private investment for affordable housing and small-business development. He claimed opportunity zones have brought "more than $100 billion" of investment and said they have "lifted more than 1 million people out of poverty, spurred the creation of half a million jobs and created 400,000 new homes." Those numbers were presented as his account and were not independently documented in the speech.
He encouraged faith-based organizations to form qualified opportunity-zone funds, repurpose underused properties and seek HUD guidance. "Our center for faith has been hard at work teaching faith leaders about how they can be a part of this transformative initiative," he said, urging attendees to contact HUD's faith office for more information.
The speech included repeated appeals to prayer and to support an initiative the speaker called "America Praise," and closed with thanks to organizers. No formal policy timeline, regulatory citations or dates for rulemaking or funding opportunities were provided during the remarks.
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