Carson the “outside of the box” pick to head HUD

Pending Senate approval it appears Dr. Ben Carson will be part of Trump’s cabinet.
The president-elect tapping the neurosurgeon to head the nation’s department of housing and urban development or HUD for short.

The move, as with many things with the Trump administration, is unprecedented in the sense that Carson has no experience in government or housing development. A stark contrast to his predecessors under the Obama administration. 

However what may play a key role for Carson is his own personal experience according to Dr. Leonard Arvi.

“My take on this is Trump is hoping that Ben Carson, whose childhood was being raised by a single mom in a low-income housing project in Detroit he probably understands the nuances of what it means to transform a low-income housing community,” Arvi said.

As head of the department  Carson will inherit a budget of $49 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, a staff of 8,500 employees and a program that affects roughly 4.5 million people. Arvi speculates that Carson should seek a market driven approach that would invite more competition from construction companies.

“I think (Carson) would focus on expanding the opportunities for more housing cause there’s a significant wait list for people that want to get into low-income housing,” Arvi said.

Arvi said he is cautiously optimistic about Carson’s appointment and said it shows Trump wanted an “out of the box” approach for HUD.