National Alliance to End Homelessness Statement on Incoming HUD Secretary Scott Turner

February 5, 2025, Washington, D.C. – Today, Congress confirmed Scott Turner as incoming Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). President Donald Trump nominated Turner to lead the department in November of last year.  

At a time when the housing crisis is pushing more and more people into homelessness, HUD’s mission to create affordable housing and sustainable communities for everyone is more important than ever. Turner’s responsibilities will encompass ensuring vital housing programs meet the needs of those they’re intended for, advancing effective and evidence-based strategies to address housing and homelessness, and advocating for the resources to meet the needs.  His role will be critical for supporting communities across the nation. 

The Alliance emphasizes that addressing homelessness demands a collaborative and non-partisan approach, and homelessness and housing affordability affect people in red and blue states alike. Solutions must be grounded in evidence and informed by the invaluable insights of communities, and people with lived experience of homelessness. The Alliance especially calls on Turner to draw upon the deep expertise of career staff at HUD, who have dedicated their careers to the rigorous evaluation and understanding of what works best to make housing affordable and end people’s homelessness. 

Turner previously ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration, where he was responsible for coordinating federal agencies to help attract private investors to invest in Opportunity Zones. He also was chair of the Center for Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute. 

The Alliance remains committed to advocating on behalf of those most vulnerable in the country, working towards an America where everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.  

The Alliance also acknowledges and thanks outgoing Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman and former Secretary Marcia L. Fudge for their leadership and compassion during their tenure at HUD. The Alliance would like to additionally express deep gratitude for the dedicated career staff at HUD who operate programs critical to serving people experiencing homelessness across the nation. 

About the National Alliance to End Homelessness

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonprofit, non-partisan, organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. As a leading voice on the issue of homelessness, the Alliance analyzes policy and develops pragmatic, cost-effective policy solutions; works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity; and provides data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide.