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GAO-23-105647 1 (2023-09-28)

handle is hein.gao/gaopfl0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 September 28, 2023 The Honorable Brian Schatz Chair The Honorable Cindy Hyde-Smith Ranking Member Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies United States Senate The Honorable Tom Cole Chair The Honorable Mike Quigley Ranking Member Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies House of Representatives AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Information on the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program Demand for affordable housing throughout the U.S. continues to outpace supply. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other federal agencies administer multiple programs that focus on increasing the supply of affordable housing. One of these is HUD's Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP). SHOP is a competitive federal grant program that awards funds to eligible grantees to help develop affordable homes for purchase by low-income families. The joint explanatory statement regarding the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 provides for GAO to evaluate various aspects of SHOP, including how increases in the costs of eligible activities have affected affordable housing development.1 This report is the second of two on SHOP. In July 2023, we issued a report examining how HUD analyzes data to inform policy decisions, such as setting the limit on the amount of SHOP funds grantees can spend per unit.2 This report provides information on SHOP funding, unit production, and the per-unit spending limit, including the potential effects that market changes could have on the limit's purchasing power. To conduct this work, we reviewed SHOP's governing statute, guidance, annual notices of funding opportunity, and available program data. We also interviewed HUD officials who 1See 168 Cong. Rec. H2477, at H3028, H3041 (daily ed. Mar. 9, 2022), incorporating by reference and modifying H.R. Rep. No. 117-99, at 108-109 (2021). Pub. L. No. 117-203, 136 Stat. 49. 2GAO, Affordable Housing: HUD Could Improve Use of Data for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program, GAO-23-106628 (Washington, D.C.: July 24, 2023). GAO-23-105647 SHOP Per-Unit Spending Limit Page 1