Greenwich Communities has earned the top rating a housing authority can receive from the federal government for its voucher program, even as hundreds of agencies nationwide struggle with budget shortfalls.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designated the Greenwich Housing Authority a "High Performer" under the Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP). HUD uses SEMAP to evaluate how well housing authorities manage their Housing Choice Voucher programs.
HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Benjamin R. Hobbs delivered the designation in a formal letter to Greenwich Housing Authority Chairman Sam Romeo. In that letter, Hobbs noted that 414 housing authorities across the country face severe budget shortfalls. Another 102 programs carry "troubled" designations and six are under federal receivership, as Greenwich Free Press reported.
"This designation reflects the dedication of you and your staff in administering HUD programs with excellence, integrity, and responsible stewardship of public resources," Hobbs wrote.
The scale of the national voucher system underscores the challenge. More than 3,600 public housing agencies administer over 2.3 million Housing Choice Vouchers, according to HUD. Combined with public housing units, these programs fund more than $43 billion annually to house low-income Americans.
Greenwich Communities scored well across all core SEMAP categories. Housing quality standards measure whether subsidized units meet safety and quality benchmarks. Income redeterminations track accurate tenant income verifications. Lease-up rates gauge how efficiently an agency puts its vouchers to use.
Romeo, in a press release, credited the authority's leadership team and staff. Their daily work "makes it possible to maintain fiscal stability while expanding access to quality housing for those who need it most," he said.
HUD launched a public PHA Accountability Dashboard on Oct. 30 to give residents direct access to local housing authority data. The tool displays performance scores, voucher utilization rates, funding levels and designation status for each agency. Users can filter by category and compare results across states and regions.
The dashboard also tracks data sourced daily from HUD systems, though voucher leasing and budget utilization figures run about two months behind because agencies submit them monthly.
Separately, HUD reported that since January 2025, 77 public housing agencies have been lifted out of troubled status. Seven others have been declared in substantial default. Those are distinct oversight categories from receivership.
Greenwich residents can look up their housing authority's scores and voucher data on the dashboard at hud.gov.
