HUD's Community Compass initiative (Community Compass) funds technical assistance, capacity building, and data research activities for HUD's customers, including grantees, public housing authorities, and tribes. Community Compass builds on the previous OneCPD Plus program and is an outcome-focused, cross-Departmental approach to HUD's technical assistance and capacity building activities. This integrated technical assistance initiative is a collaborative effort among HUD, its customers, and the organizations providing technical assistance and capacity building on behalf of HUD.

Community Compass is designed to help HUD's customers navigate complex housing and community development challenges by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, tools, capacity, and systems to implement HUD programs and policies successfully. The goal of Community Compass is to empower communities by providing effective technical assistance and capacity building so that successful program implementation is sustained over the long term.

Recognizing that HUD’s customers often interact with a variety of HUD programs as they deliver housing or community development services, Community Compass brings together technical assistance investments from across HUD program offices, including the Office of Community Planning and Development, the Office of Housing, and the Office of Public and Indian Housing for the following programs, policies, systems, and initiatives:

• Affordable Housing & Community Development: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), Housing Counseling, and the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS), Section 202 Direct Loan program, Section 236 program, FHA Small Buildings and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Pilot, Section 8bb, and Section 214


• Disaster recovery and resiliency: Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR)


• Economic Development: Economic Development initiatives (EDI), Brownfields Economic Development Initiatives (BEDI), Promise Zones


• Energy Efficiency: Better Buildings Challenge Partners (BBC), Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI)


• Homeless Assistance: Continuum of Care (CoC), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Rural Housing Stability Program (RHSP), Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)


• Housing for Special Populations: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities


• Native American Programs: Indian Housing Block Grant and Native Hawaiian Block Grant


• Public Housing: Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing Administrative Receiverships, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), Choice Neighborhoods, Jobs Plus, Section 8 and other project based rental assistance


• Rural: Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) Programs, Rural Innovation Fund (RIF)

Activities performed under Community Compass include:

• Needs assessments
• Direct Technical Assistance and Capacity Building engagements
• Development of products and tools
• Self-directed and group learning
• Knowledge management
• Data reporting, analysis and management
• NAHASDA allocation formula administration and negotiated rulemaking support