Shortly after taking office in 2009, President Obama visited Lehigh Acres, one of the hardest hit areas in the country during the housing crisis.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro admits while plenty of progress has been made since then, there is still more work to be done.
Castro visited several homes in Lehigh Acres that benefited from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which pumped $18 million into the economy following the housing crisis.
"We can invest in ways that allow for hard working Americans to have the opportunity to get their own home in a responsible way," said Secretary Castro.
Renette Bourdeau purchased a home under the HSP program 4 years ago, she loves it more than renting, but she considers herself lucky.
"I lot of my friends lost their houses."
Secretary Castro acknowledges many Americans are still struggling to pay their mortgages or save for a down payment.
With just a few months left in office, he's going to push for more funding from congress.
"We have a rental affordability crisis out there, the rents are going up in a lot of areas, and we need to address that."
Secretary Castro declined to talk about the 2016 election or Donald Trump. He said it would be inappropriate to comment on the election while on an official visit as HUD Secretary.
