Preliminary Research Closeout Memorandum
In 2011, HUD established a high priority goal to reduce vacancies through improved management of the public housing inventory. Since then, HUD has substantially reduced vacancies, saving taxpayer dollars and enhancing the availability of habitable rental units. Subsidized vacancies, measured in unit months, have decreased from approximately 550,000 in 2011 to approximately 379,000 currently. The improvement has resulted in a reduction in public housing vacancies from 4.2% to 2.9% during the three-year period.