The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has waived the final year of a five-year agreement with the Chicago Housing Authority because of the agency’s outstanding performance and commitment to enhancing the Section 3 program that provides job and contracting opportunities to public housing residents. HUD noted that CHA not only met the benchmarks of the Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA), but exceeded them in many areas, including contractor hiring and sub-contracting. In the last four years, CHA has become a leader in Section 3 activity, building the nation’s first office specifically tailored to Section 3 business concerns, offering direct assistance, training and support to Section 3 business owners. CHA also created an in-house portal system for Section 3 residents and businesses to search and apply for jobs and contracts. The HUD Section 3 program is aimed at helping resident-owned businesses gain access to contracting opportunities and to support Section 3 residents and businesses in the areas of training and resources, business development and compliance. CHA also achieved a subcontracting total of 23.8 percent for professional service contracts, exceeding the three percent subcontracting goal for professional service contracts by more than 20 percent. CHA began tracking Section 3 internal hires in January 2014 after HUD approval of the CHA’s Section 3 Hiring Policy. Since January 2014, 40 percent of CHA’s internal hires have been Section 3 residents.