Washington, D.C. residents who used to go to the drug store at 801 N. Capitol Street can now go to the HUD store that has taken its place.
That's right, the HUD store, as in Housing and Urban Development Department.
HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday opened the first "HUD Next Door" store to accolades from Washington-area members of Congress and other local politicians. The storefront office will provide better customer service to citizens, Cuomo said.
"These new consumer service centers will translate the lofty ideals of government reinvention into the down-to-earth reality of improved performance that can build better futures for America's families and America's communities," Cuomo said.
The 8,000 square-foot street-level office is staffed by 14 HUD employees and has computers called "HUD Answer Machines" for people to look up housing information. A 24-hour touch-screen information kiosk is located on the sidewalk outside the office. Citizens can seek assistance with buying and building housing, arranging home improvement loans, getting rental assistance, filing housing discrimination complaints and opening and expanding businesses.
HUD will open "HUD Next Door" stores over the next two years in Albuquerque, N.M.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Baltimore, Md.; Sacramento, Calif.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Shreveport, La.; Reno, Nev.; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Casper, Wyo.
HUD will save $104,000 a year with the new D.C. office because the rent is cheaper than the previous office it maintained in the city. The General Services Administration negotiated the lease for HUD.
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